


Albatross - Episode 4 "Rockport"

by Apartment41



Series: Albatross [2]
Category: Unspecified Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 16:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4186563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apartment41/pseuds/Apartment41
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kunai has been welcomed aboard the Albatross, and has secured her position as a dedicated crew member.  She'll go far under the watchful eye of Captain Falcout, her first mate Grim, and Kunai's new best friend, Jack.</p><p>But now she's on an alien world, whose culture and customs couldn't be further from her own.  More than that, for all her new friends, she is still alone.</p><p>She's finally secured a place among the stars.  But now she must come to peace with herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

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ACT ONE

“Get up, Kunai,” Allison said as she walked by Kunai’s room.

Kunai groaned and rolled over in her bed. Half an hour before, she’d shut the blinds to keep out the piercing sun. Half an hour before that, the house had erupted with the sounds of life. Kunai’s crewmembers showering, talking, making plans for the day to come.  
Alyx had knocked on her door and very softly told Kunai that she could sleep in for another hour, but she’d have to get up if she wanted breakfast. Kunai had only groaned in response.

Now she could hear Allison in the kitchen, rooting around in the silverware drawer. The clattering and scraping of metal grated against Kunai’s ears like fingernails on a chalkboard. At the same time, she could smell something delicious wafting in from her partially opened window; roasted meat and vegetables. The sounds of a fire crackling just barely reached her ears.

Kunai was tempted to get up. The clock on her nightstand flashed 08:45. Well past her normal wake up time. But she was exhausted. Alyx had forced her to stay awake until well past ten o’ clock last night. Emily had rambled on about the transition from Halcyon time to ship time to Rockport time, but Kunai had been too tired to listen. Now she tossed and turned, trying to ignore the sun, and doing her best to get back to sleep.

She tried sleeping with the covers on, but that made her too hot. She tried without the covers, but that made her too cold. She tried sleeping on her stomach, but didn’t like how the hard pillows felt against her head. Sleeping on her back felt awkward, and sleeping on her side forced her to confront the sun, no matter which way she laid.

Exasperated, she groaned again, louder this time.

Allison marched into Kunai’s room and ripped one of the pillows out from under her head.

Kunai sat up in bed, her arms raised in defense. Allison stood over her in a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top, with a scowl to top it all off.

“Hey! Did you think that was a suggestion? Get up!” She brought the pillow down on Kunai’s face with surprising force.

 

Kuani took a long, hot shower. There was a near infinite supply of water, and she wasn’t paying for a single drop. She toweled herself off, took a moment to fix her hair, and began to dress. She was mildly disappointed, and felt a little more than a twinge of embarrassment, that she was still wearing the same blue jeans, black boots, and red shirt she’d brought from Halcyon.

She mentally shrugged. She hadn’t had much time to pack any more clothes. And the crew didn’t seem like the type to judge her. Except for Allison maybe, Kunai thought with a scowl.

She finished dressing in short order, walked out of her room, into the living room, and out the sliding glass door that led onto the deck.

 

The first thing that struck her was the sky. It seemed to stretch out forever. Not a single cloud disturbed it. Nothing but cobalt blue as far as the eye could see. And below it was the ocean. It began as a pearlescent green, but the further out it stretched, it transitioned to a deep blue, that ended in a shade so deep it was almost purple.

Kunai smiled, unzipped her boots, pulled off her socks, walked down the patio steps, and onto the sand, barefoot.

To her left, Burke and Thai struggled mightily to cook breakfast. They labored over spits of meat, vegetable and potato strung over an open flame. Burke, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and simple shorts, pulled a flaming cabob out of the fire just in time for Thai to douse it with a fire extinguisher.

The two then bickered as to who was responsible for the incident, and who would report to the Captain. Kunai grinned.

Allison had taken a seat under a parasail to her right. The beautiful beach and sun didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. Her perpetual sneer was poised on her lips, same as always. The beach towel next to her was strangely unoccupied. Only a tablet computer and a set of glasses held the space.

Grim and Jack grunted loudly, prompting Kunai to turn.

They were shirtless and barefooted, wearing nothing more than a pair of exercise shorts and grimaces. They were grappling in a small ring they’d drawn in the sand: no punches, no kicks, only tackles and holds. And from what Kunai could tell, it was an even match.

Grim had Jack around the head in a chokehold, but the trainee pilot managed to squirm away at the last moment. But Grim wasn’t going down so easily. He spun around, and bear hugged the sailor into submission.

Jack delivered a straight jab to Grim’s ribs and broke the lock. He skirted backwards, wary of Grim’s superior reach and strength. Jack seemed to dance, spinning around Grim, waiting for his time to strike.

The decision was made for him. Grim lunged with surprising speed, but was parried by a quick thrust from Jack’s right arm. Jack managed to grab Grim around the neck, and enjoyed a brief moment of elation. Unfortunately, Grim took hold of Jack’s mechanical arm and flipped the pilot over his shoulder, threw him down on the sand, and pressed a knee to his protégé’s throat in one fluid motion.

Jack delivered a quick jab to Grim’s stomach, who shouted in pain. In a half second, Jack was back on his feet, and dancing around Grim with a broad smile.  
Grim huffed, and lunged towards Jack with surprising speed.

“Come here!” He shouted.

Jack attempted to parry again, but Grim was moving too fast. Grim latched onto Jack’s mechanical arm, pulled once, and wrapped the young pilot in a headlock. He squeezed tight, and lifted up, until Jack’s legs were flailing in mid-air.

“That’s game,” Grim said quietly. Jack grimaced.

Jack made a show of gasping for air until Grim smiled and released his hold. The two stood, smiling. Jack rubbed his neck. Grim patted him on the non-mechanical shoulder.

“You’re improving,” he said. Jack grimaced.

“Not fast enough, apparently.”

Grim laughed and slapped Jack’s shoulder again.

The two began to walk towards the patio when Grim spotted Kunai standing by the door.

“You’re awake!” He called.

Kunai smiled and shrugged.

Grim smirked. “Finally.”

“Not that I want to be,” Kunai said with a snide glance to Allison, who quickly acknowledged the jab with her usual sneer.

Kunai raised a high-five towards Jack, who promptly caught the invitation. Kunai could feel rubber fingers and mechanical pseudo-muscle. A part of her cringed.

“Looking good out there,” she said.

Jack smiled wide. He put his hands behind his head and stretched theatrically, letting Kunai see the muscles in his chest and arms. She sat down on the steps of the patio, smirking.

Part of her focused on Jack’s prosthetic arm. This was the first time she’d gotten a full look at it, now that Jack was shirtless. The armature had fully replaced his shoulder blade, and half of his right pectoral muscle. The pseudo-muscles themselves were tightly wound coils of an advanced fiber that linked directly to Jack’s brain.

The pseudo-bones and joints were titanium steel alloy. The entire assembly had been polished to a shine. Not an ounce of sand clung to the frame, likely thanks to an electro-static buffer system that helped to repel dust.

Jack smiled at Kunai.

“Yeah, I did,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Grim snorted and leaned against the stair’s railing. Kunai did the same.

“Impressive you can lose with an arm like that,” Kunai smirked.

Jack looked at her with theatrical shock. He picked up a rock off the beach and held it in his hand.

“Laugh it up,” he said. He brought the rock to Kunai’s eye level and smiled. “But holding back is important when you can accidentally crack skulls.” With almost no effort at all, the mechanical fingers closed tightly around the rock, and in the blink of an eye, crushed it into fine powder.

Jack smiled, dusted his hand off, and reached for a piece of fruit laying on the table next to Burke and Thai.

Grim cocked an eyebrow. “We don’t eat until everyone’s at the table,” he growled.

Jack smirked. “I hate that rule.” His hand kept inching towards the fruit.

Grim pushed off from the patio rail and stepped beside his protégé.

“That’s my rule.”

Jack turned away from the table. He looked at Grim with a potent mixture of youthful arrogance and well honed combat skill. The two began to size one another up, measuring the others will to fight, and skill at doing so.

The obvious physical advantage went to Grim. He was larger, faster, and had just trounced Jack in hand to hand combat. But as Kunai began to appraise Jack, she began to see beyond his mechanical arm. He was a pilot. Still in training, but nonetheless built into a culture that admired daring, bravery, and no lack of bravado.

Kunai smiled. In a betting competition, the odds would be split evenly between the sheer strength of Grim, and the tenacity of Jack. It would be an even fight.

Jack smirked. “So?”

Grim placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head to one side.

“So you better respect.”

Jack frowned lightly and dropped his arms to his side. The two men stared at one another for several moments.

Kunai tried to see into their minds. She knew Jack had something up his sleeve. This was a conflict with little chance of permanent injury, but infinite room for mischief. Grim had likely made the same calculation, which would explain the tightness of his face; he was expecting something to happen. The when and how were up to Jack.

Slowly, the trainee pilot inhaled. He paused slightly when his chest reached its full expansion, then let everything out in one tremendous blow. He then very casually took one step forward, planted his foot, and in the blink of an eye, pivoted towards the prep table used by Burke and Thai, and towards the pieces of fruit.

He scooped up a handful of watermelon and shoved it into his mouth before Grim had time to flinch. But the spacer recovered quickly.

“COME HERE!” Grim shouted, launching after Jack. The trainee was already running across the back of the house, towards the ocean. He sprinted the first two meters into the water, but quickly changed to the high step pattern necessary to run in deeper water. Grim was hot on his tale, and had tackled Jack in mere seconds.

The two continued their fight of grapples and holds, pausing frequently to clear the water and hair from their eyes. Kunai laughed all the while.

She stepped further out into the beach, and finding a soft spot, sat down. Behind her was the house, Allison, Burke and Thai. Before her was the ocean, undisturbed and clear.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She felt the cool ocean breeze on her face, and smelled the light fragrance of salt sea air. The sand between her fingers and toes was soft and wet. She curled them up, savoring the feeling as the sand squeezed out the other side.

There was a part of her that wanted to stay on the beach forever. To leave behind her life of poverty and misery. All she wanted was to dig a hole in the sand, and pour every moment she’d ever lived on Halcyon inside.

She sighed and looked at Jack and Grim. They seemed less focused on hand to hand training than having fun. They skipped through the water, contacting briefly with a jab to the ribs or a half-hearted attempt at a headlock. They were laughing. They didn’t have a care in the world.

From the corner of her eye, Kunai saw movement.

Squinting slightly, she saw two runners sprinting down the beach. One was tall and thin, with arms pumping like two jackhammers. The other was shorter, stockier, and wearing heavy clothes. But still moved with speed and confidence.

Kunai stood to get a better look at the runners. As they came closer, Kunai realized they were Alyx and Emily returning for breakfast.

They were approaching fast, their arms and legs moving with incredible speed. Kunai could see their faces, at once slack from exhaustion, but tight with concentration. Their eyes were blank, seeing only that their house, and therefore breakfast was nearby. All that they were was focused on the next footfall, the one after that was little more than an afterthought.

The two were racing, although neither would ever admit it to the other, but Kunai could see the spark of competition in both. The way they pushed when the other seemed ready to overtake them, the way they glanced at the other with every other step. A sense of carnal energy ensnared them both.

Ten meters out, the two were still neck and neck, neither one willing to seed ground. Emily was pushing with all her might, calling on some deep strength that seemed beyond her. But Alyx wore the stern face of a Captain, and with it, the unspoken rule that she was never to accept defeat, from herself, or her charges.

Carried by two long legs, Alyx lengthened her stride, and in the last meter carved out a respectable lead. The pair blew past Kunai in a rush of wind, slowed down with stomping feet and ragged breath, then bent over their knees in exhaustion.

Emily recovered quickly; her usual cheerful smile replaced her exhaustion-slackened mouth in only two breaths. She stood to her full height, and almost skipped to the beach towel besides Allison.

Kunai cocked an eyebrow at the Doc. The woman was wearing a full set of training sweats: a massive hooded sweater with the same insignia that was on the banner in her office, and a pair of heavy sweatpants. Yet she’d run with a poise and grace that Kunai never would have suspected her capable of.

“Morning, Kunai,” Alyx said.

Kunai turned, and glanced her Captain up and down, appraisingly.

Alyx wore nothing more than an expensive looking black workout bra, short black workout shorts, and a pair of skintight leg warmers that extended from her knee, and tucked under the arch of her feet. Kunai had heard of these devices: electro muscle stimulators that prevented injury and facilitated a better workout.

Kunai cocked an eyebrow. The Captain looked good.

She was clearly a disciplined woman: she was built of thick, ropey muscle from top to bottom, with two shapely legs, muscular arms, and svelte abs. Her hair was pulled back and tied into a loose knot that fluttered gently in the breeze.

Kunai smiled. “Mornin’, Captain,” she finally said.

“You just get up?” Alyx said with a laugh, prompting Kunai to blush. Alyx began to walk towards the house, and indicated that Kunai follow. “Hungry?”

Kunai nodded. “Always.”

“Good,” Alyx said as she stepped up onto the patio. She turned at the top and looked towards Grim and Jack, who were still locked in combat.

“Grim!” She called. When that failed to catch his attention, she shouted again, louder this time. “Grim!”

The man looked up for a moment, briefly drawing his attention away from Jack, who was pinned under the water by Grim’s massive arms.

“Yeah?” He shouted.

“Come on. Breakfast,” Alyx said, content with, or oblivious to Jack’s situation.

“Right,” Grim called back.

Suddenly, he looked down into the water quizzically. Jack had slipped out of his grasp, and the ocean around the two had become clouded with sand, blocking Grim’s view.

Grim began to slowly pace in circles now, his hands raised to hip level, waiting to strike. His eyes darted all around him, looking for signs of movement.

Suddenly, the water behind him exploded, and Jack leapt onto Grim’s back.

“Gotcha now!” Jack shouted, before pulling Grim under the waves. The two disappeared in a splash of water, sand, and foam.


	2. Chapter 2

Once everyone had assembled, Alyx called a start to breakfast.

Burke and Thai distributed the kebabs with assurances to everyone that the food was most certainly cooked, and that the duo would never cook again if they heard a single complaint.

Before Kunai could begin eating, she watched her crewmates. She’d never eaten kebab before, and was uncertain how to begin. Jack, Grim and Alyx bit down on the food and pulled it off the skewer one piece at a time. Emily slid the pieces onto a plate while she sat and talked with Allison under the parasail. Burke and Thai did both.

Having made her choice, Kunai oriented her skewer, bit down on a piece of steak, and slid the succulent piece of meat off the end. With a little manipulation from her lips, she plopped the piece into her mouth, and chewed.

She smiled contentedly and repeated the same maneuver with the next piece of food.

Careful to keep the sharp end of the kebab at a safe distance, Kunai sat down on the porch steps by herself, and began to eat.

As she chewed, she looked out onto the ocean, and thought about Halcyon. She could remember every detail like it was right there in front of her: the cloudy sky, the grey snow, and the people. The millions of people, stacked ten deep on top of each other, trying to carve out an existence on a world that wanted robots instead of people.

Suddenly she remembered her friends, Poz and Kitty. She suddenly realized that she’d never found out what had happened to him, and she became filled with terror that he’d become one of the “disappeared.” A kind euphemism for the Halcyon citizen who brushes shoulders with the police, and is never seen again.

Kunai ate from her kebab and buried her head between her knees.

 

Alyx stared at Kunai’s back as she chewed.

The Captain had only been with Kunai for two days. Already, Alyx felt like she had a solid bead on Kunai: loud, confident, strong, brave, and fiercely loyal. But an undercurrent was starting to make itself known. A deep-seated fear of change, and loneliness. Alyx could see it in the way the teenager moved through the Albatross.

How she listened to Emily talk about medicine, or Jack talk about flying. Her eyes began to narrow, and her breath became shallow. In her mind she was being threatened, challenged. She was being thrust into a whole new world head-first. The violence and anti-authority she’d used to survive on Halcyon would land her in trouble here. There was nothing left for her to do but sit back and take the pain.

Alyx swallowed the food she’d been chewing and nudged Grim in the ribs.

“Grim,” she said.

When the sailor turned, Alyx pointed towards Kunai with the end of her kebab. Grim sighed deeply and touched his beard.

“Noticed that, huh?”

“She was pretty quiet last night.”

Grim waved his hand and took a bite of food.

“I think the space walk yesterday might’ve spooked her.”

Alyx cocked an eyebrow and stood.

“Think so?” She whispered to herself.

Slowly, she padded over to Kunai, who didn’t seem to notice Alyx until she sat down.

“Hey,” Alyx said.

She splayed her legs out, and her hands back, letting Kunai know that her Captain was perfectly at ease. Kunai maintained her tense position, but looked at Alyx with a smiling face.

Alyx wasn’t fooled. She could see that the smile didn’t reach Kunai’s eyes. She could see the uncertainty and insecurity as plain as a scan back on the ship.

Kunai shifted slightly so she could better face Alyx.

“Hey,” she said cheerfully.

Alyx gave her a half smile and a slight tilt of the head. “You alright?”

“Yeah, fine,” Kunai reassured. “How was the run?”

Alyx smiled more genuinely.

“Great.” She stretched her legs out even further and looked out onto the ocean with longing eyes. “Feels good to stretch my legs.”

Kunai laughed lightly and looked out as well. “Hard to do on a ship, huh?”

“Something like that,” Alyx said. Suddenly she turned to Kunai, a renewed sense of energy carried on every syllable. “Hey, you and I need to run some errands today.”

“Like what?”

“Well, if you want to work on my ship, you’ll have to register with my guild.”

Kunai glanced toward the sandy beach.

“Um… okay,” she said slowly. “What do I have to do?”

Alyx smiled teasingly.

“Don’t worry, it’s pretty simple. Happens everyday.”

Grim walked behind the two, and leaned up against the railing. Alyx looked up at him, with the lightest of smiles. He was still bare from the waist up, prominently displaying his rather impressive chest of hair. A more wicked thought entered Alyx’s mind, which she quickly suppressed. There was no room for sentiment right now.

Not with Grim, anyway.

Grim looked at Kunai with an easy expression.

“You’re pretty lucky, Kunai, not everyone gets to be a member of the Captain’s guild.”

“Yeah?” Kunai seemed to perk up briefly.

Grim nodded his massive head. “Yep. The North Star. Best of the best.”

Kunai smiled. “Neat.”

Alyx looked back at Kunai. “After we get you registered, you’ll be free for the day. Just be back here at night.”

Kunai rubbed her arm and looked longingly at the sand.

“Can I just stay here? On the beach?”

“Sure,” Alyx said quietly. Grim leaned in a little closer.

“There’s plenty to do in town, though.”

“Like what?” Kunai asked.

Grim recoiled back; he hadn’t been prepared for that question.

“Well there’s all kinds of things.”

“Like?” Kunai probed.

“Well there’s… uh…” Grim stroked his beard for a moment. He glanced at the Captain, who stared back with a bemused expression on his face. Looking for answers,

Grim looked over to Jack, who had been listening to the conversation the whole time. With a slight inclination of his head, a pair of raised eyebrows and a shift in pitch,

Jack finally received Grim’s call for aid.

The trainee pilot swallowed his food in one gulp and addressed Kunai.

“Age appropriate things like hiking, and snorkeling, and shopping, and sun bathing, and swimming, and loads of other stuff.”

Grim ignored the light barb and nodded at Kunai.

“Right. Follow Jack,” he emphasized with a point of his finger.

“What are you going to be doing?” Kunai asked suspiciously.

“Never you mind!”

Alyx laughed softly and looked at Kunai.

“I’ve got business with the guild.” Her eye twitched and a note of acid slipped into her voice. “Unfortunately.”

“I’ll tag along,” Grim added solemnly.

Kunai picked another piece of meat off her kebab and shifted her gaze between Alyx, Grim, and Jack.

“So how do we get there?”

 

The car was a matte grey monster made of nothing but aggressive angles. It had a massive front end built more like a battering ram than any engine compartment Kunai had ever seen. Attached to an exceedingly robust and heavily reinforced suspension system, each of the four wheels were easily a meter and a half tall. It gave the impression that the car was less engine that traveled on wheels, and more wheel that was simply determined to travel.

There were no doors, and from a quick glance at the inside, hardly any interior. The seats were lightly padded, at best. There was minimal dash, and in place of proper seat belts, were oversized military grade harnesses. Behind the four seats was a flatbed easily capable of accommodating a supine adult, or five. Bolted to the back of the flatbed’s door was an array of spare batteries, water canisters, air tanks, and utility equipment.

Kunai stepped outside the little garage, which was barely big enough to accommodate the behemoth, and stood next to Jack, who was busy admiring the car himself.

“Whoa,” Kunai finally said.

“Drove to us last night, all by itself,” Jack said with pride.

“What is it?”

Jack smiled from ear to ear. He approached the car with a confident swagger, pride oozing out of him. Kunai followed at a distance.

“The M-7 Multi Purpose Extra Terrestrial Exploration Vehicle. Light shielding with corrosion and impact resistant armor plating, one meter of wheel clearance plus high efficiency power generation for extended independent travel. Internal life support with mil-spec navigation suite allowing for fully autonomous operation and transportation on any planet, moon, or even asteroid. High speed, high endurance engine with the best torque and reliability ratings for any vehicle in its class. Stored in the Albatross’ hangar, and can be brought from ship to shore with ease.”

Kunai stepped away from it, just to drink it all in. She admired the design: primitive, brutish, and tough. She began to see the car’s history as she ran a hand over its cuts, dings and scrapes. It was a fighter, she decided. A tank on four wheels.

“We call it… The Grizzly!” Jack finished. He reached inside and tapped a button on the console, retracting the car’s roof into a compartment at the back.

“The top folds back, too,” he finished with somewhat less enthusiasm.

“Can you drive?” Kunai asked with a smile.

Jack was on the verge of answering when Grim walked into the garage, freshly showered and dressed for warm weather.

“Yes, he can. And no he won’t,” he growled deeply as he walked towards the driver side of the car.

“Aw, come on!” Jack complained.

“Pipe down. Get in!” Grim ordered. Jack ran to the other side of the car and opened the shotgun door when Grim barked at him again. “The back!”

Dejected, Jack waved to Kunai, and the two climbed into the Grizzly’s flatbed. Grim smirked satisfactorily and made to climb behind the driver’s wheel when Alyx shot a hand in front of him, blocking his way.

“Hey!” He shouted to her.

“’Hey,’ what?” Alyx said before snatching the keys from his hand.

Grim stared at her, dumbfounded. She had taken time after breakfast to shower and do her hair, and had put an unusual amount of effort into her clothes as well.

Now she stood before him, her hair pulled back into a loose pony tale, and wearing a pair of black jeans with a tight fitting, sleeveless white button-up, and fingerless black Hardex gloves. She’d clipped on a half-skirt as well. The Hardex cover was attached at her waste, and extended to the middle of her knees in a triangular figure, covering only the rear half of her hips and legs. As always, her red sash was drawn tight over her right bicep.

Grim had to admit, she looked fantastic. He stroked his beard. Not that that’s ever been hard to admit.

“Since when do you drive?” He asked with a half smile and a cock of his eyebrows.

Alyx tilted her head and thrust her hip sideways. “Since I bought and paid for this car, and store it in my ship.” She then very gently pushed Grim out of her way, grabbed onto the handle-holds bolted to the Grizzly’s roll cage, and climbed inside.

Grim stepped beside her, an almost pleading looking on his face. He looked at the steering wheel with puppy dog eyes, and then back to his Captain.

“But you still always have me drive...”

Alyx removed a pair of aviator sunglasses from her breast pocket and slid them on. “It’s a nice day,” she said coyly. “Captain’s privilege.” She put the keys into the ignition, and looked at Grim. With one hand, she lowered the sunglasses, just letting him see her eyes. “You coming?”


	3. Chapter 3

With light pressure on the accelerator, Alyx eased the Grizzly out of the garage, and on to the simple roads that made up Rockport. The moment she was clear of the house, Alyx gunned the throttle, allowing electricity to surge into the Grizzly’s in-hub engines, launching the car forward at top speed.

Grim looked at the Captain for a moment. She was staring straight ahead, one hand on the steering wheel, another draped loosely out the side of the car. He took a moment to admire the curve of her shoulders, the point of her jaw, and the accent of her cheeks. He chuckled softly and returned to the view outside, smiling all the while.

Behind him, Allison and Emily sat in their seats, admiring the scenery as it whipped by. Allison had kept her blue jeans and black tank top, while Emily had changed into a loose fitting pair of scrubs and a white lab coat. Tucked at her feet was a massive duffel bag filled with medical equipment.

Behind them, Burke, Thai, Jack and Kunai sat on top of the fold out jump seats stored in the walls of the Grizzly’s flat bed. The three men stared at one another, while Kunai craned her body to get a view of Rockport as it flashed by.

“So, how’s everyone doing?” Jack asked.

Alyx drove over a bump at top speed, sending all four flying into the air, and crashing back down on the unpadded seats with an audible thud. Burke threw Thai off of his lap and brushed some of the dust off his pants.

“Oh… just fine. Rethinking life decisions. Wondering why I have to sit back here,” Burke replied with a snide glance towards Allison and Emily, who were both safely strapped in to their seats. Thai nodded his head up and down.

“This is amazing!” Kunai suddenly screeched in excitement.

Jack turned in his seat to look at her. “What is?”

“This city!” She gestured. “It’s… green!” Kunai was beaming. Jack followed her gaze and cocked an eyebrow in wonder.

All around them was nature. Acres and acres of rolling hills covered in lush grass that stood at hip height, but rose and fell with each gust of wind. There wasn’t a single tree in sight; Rockport was a young planet, and trees had yet to be developed. The only substitute had to be brought in from other planets, which was strictly forbidden.

Jack had seen all of this before. It was Kunai that caught his attention. Here was someone from an icy, hellish planet dominated by corporate masters, set loose on Rockport, a place where natural beauty and freedom were held above all else. It was the home of the Spacers. A spiritual oasis.

Jack smiled.

“Must be a bit of a change, huh?” He called over the whipping of the wind. “Rockport’s not like other planets. Spacers, like the Captain and Grim, come here to relax and get ready for the next job.” He indicated with a jerk of his head. “You won’t find any factories or industries. Mostly hotels, restaurants, bars, that sort of thing. You won’t find much crime either. At Rockport, everyone takes care of each other.” He glanced around the rest of the crew for a moment. Alyx and Grim up front. Emily and Allison in the middle. And the four of them in the back. “This place is a home to all Spacers.” He leaned back against the roll cage for a moment and shut his eyes.

“Just friendly people, blue skies, and sandy beaches.” He opened his eyes for a moment, and glanced over at Kunai, who was still staring out the side of the Grizzly, mouth wide open, eyes shimmering in the morning sun. “Not a bad place to be.”

 

The crew pulled into the city proper after a half hour of driving at top speed, with only occasional detours motivated by Alyx’s need to steer the massive vehicle over the largest jumps she could see.

Rockport was a simple city, to say the least. One of the first city ordnances ever laid down was that no trading was to take place on the planet’s surface: instead, all trade was to take place on the space elevator, whose anchor was actually fifteen kilometers outside the city limits, well out of sight and mind for most of the city’s hundred thousand citizens.

There were no buildings taller than three stories, and there were no factories or industrial areas. Instead, most of the area was dominated by the headquarters of spacing guilds, and the infrastructure necessary to support them: restaurants, bars, hotels and apartments. A bustling cultural scene had also developed, with a lively theatre district that was quickly taking the night-life by storm.

Alyx pulled off the main drag, which, much to her disappointment had become paved shortly before entering town, and wheeled the Grizzly into the parking lot of Rockport’s largest municipal hospital.

Emily unbuckled herself from the Grizzly and began to dismount. Her usual cheery smile was gone, and cold professionalism had taken its place.

“Thank you, Captain,” she said in a muted tone. With some difficulty owing to her small size, Emily slowly climbed down from the Grizzly, maintaining a firm grip on the handlebars as she made her descent.

“No problem. Any idea when you’ll be back?” Alyx asked.

“No,” Emily answered.

“Well… do a good job,” Alyx said, somewhat upset.

Kunai’s head was on a swivel now, eagerly soaking up every detail of the city around her. As she panned, her eyes stumbled across a low slung building made of what looked like marble, with the unmistakable flag of the Union: a white, eight pointed star, atop the white curve of the Earth, superimposed against a backdrop of light blue.

“Hey, Jack!” Kunai shouted with a point of her finger “Is that a Union building?” Her heart was racing with excitement now.

Jack followed her finger. “Yep, it’s a Union Embassy!”

Kunai turned to him in shock, her mouth wide and her whole body shaking. “This is a Union planet?” She shrieked in excitement.

“…I’m afraid not. This planet is independent.” Kunai’s face dropped a solid notch, and she looked back at the building, utterly dejected. Jack was on the verge of laughing, but decided to suppress it. He didn’t want to risk hurting Kunai’s feelings.

“Spacers are friendly with the Union and all, but like to keep them at arms length. It’s easier that way.”

“Why?” Kunai asked.

Jack shrugged. “Got me. I’ve always liked the Union.”

Emily dusted some of the sand from the ride off herself, then turned and began extricating her bag from the Grizzly. The bag was heavy, and clipped into the seat, but she removed it with relative ease. As Emily threw one of the straps over her shoulder, Allison leaned over, lowering her sunglasses slightly so that Emily could see her eyes.

“Call me if you need anything, alright?” She said quietly.

“I’ll be fine,” Emily replied in a clipped tone. Allison frowned, dejected. Once Emily had finally hoisted the bag over her shoulder, she turned on her heel and began to walk to the clinic. She stopped after several paces, and looked over her shoulder at Allison. “But, thanks anyway.”

She turned back around, and kept walking.

Satisfied that her doctor was safe, Alyx pressed on the accelerator, and steered the Grizzly back onto the road.

 

Ten minutes later, Alyx wheeled the Grizzly onto the side of the road, and brought the car to a halt. Kunai took a moment to survey the surroundings. On one side was a collection of shops and the occasional courtyard. But on the other was a massive building of concrete and glittering golden steel. A courtyard in the front featured a mix of lush green grass and glittering statues of Spacers long past. But the most prominent figure was a ten meter tall, eight pointed star of polished silver that stood atop the building, a ring of fire lit beneath it. The massive statue dominated the plaza, and called everyone around to it.

“Here we are,” Alyx said as she turned the engine off.

“Alright. We’re off,” Burke said as he and Thai climbed out the back of the Grizzly.

“Where to?” Jack asked, following them out.

“Who’re you, my mother?”

Jack smiled. “Of course not, my clothes actually fit me.”

Thai laughed, but Alyx shot Jack a very stern look.

“Enough of that, Jack,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack replied, sheepishly.

Burke pulled a small back from under his seat and threw it over his shoulder. “Don’t leave without us,” he said.

“Like they could anyway,” Thai chimed in.

Having finally dismounted and taken stock of their belongings, both pilot and navigator headed off into the city.

Alyx was stepping out of the car when she noticed Allison already well on her way. She frowned and called after the cyborg.

“Allison?”

She didn’t even stop, and Alyx didn’t bother going after her. Instead, Alyx snorted, and walked over to Jack, who was idly waiting at the back of the car with Kunai.

“Jack. I’ve got a job for you,” she said while handing him a paper list. “Get started on these,” she ordered. “Get as much done as you can, and bring the car back in an hour, alright?”

Jack’s face suddenly lit up with excitement. “You mean I get to drive the Grizzly? Count on me!” He smoothly brushed past the Captain and leapt into the driver’s seat, hardly touching the handle bars. Alyx walked coolly to his side, a serious look on her face.

“Jack,” she said calmly. Recognizing the seriousness in her voice, Jack stopped and focused on the Captain. “If you crash my Grizzly. Or ding it. Or get even a single scratch on it.” She leaned in closer. “I will be very disappointed in you.”

She allowed her threat to hang in the air for a moment, before racking a smile. “Understand?”

Jack’s grin stretched from ear to ear now. “I’ll take good care of her, Cap,” he said, caressing the steering wheel.

“You better,” Alyx threatened again. She turned to see Grim with his hand on Kunai. “Come on, you’re with us,” Alyx told Kunai.

As Jack peeled back on to the street at top speed, an action that required all of Alyx’s strength to ignore, the remaining trio walked up the steps and through the courtyards of the large building, stopping just before a pair of human guards protecting the large central entrance.

Kunai marveled even at the door. It was easily ten meters tall, and inlaid with ornate gold and polished to a glorious shine. It was an almost tasteful decoration to a surprisingly understated building, now that Kunai could see it up close.

Alyx reached inside her pocket and removed an ID card, her image and information emblazoned on the front. She presented it to one of the guards, who politely accepted, and examined it with professional attention to detail.

Alyx squared her shoulders and centered herself. “Captain Alexandria J. Falcout of the North Star Ship Albatross.”

At the mention of her last name, Kunai noticed the other guard’s eyebrow shot up in surprise, but otherwise he showed no emotion.

The first guard scanned Alyx’s ID, and handed it back to her in a completely routine fashion.

“Welcome back, Captain Falcout,” he said. Again, Kunai noticed that he put an unusual amount of emphasis on her last name.

But Alyx either hadn’t noticed this anomaly, or chose to ignore it. She simply replaced the ID, and walked through the front doors, with Kunai and Grim following closely behind.

The moment Kunai cleared the threshold of the door, she gasped, long, loud, and utterly without shame. The room she’d stepped into was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. The floor was a jet black marble with stars of burnished silver and white marble laid in. Stellar notations and names were etched next to the stars in gold filigree. The columns progressed from the same uniform black, but transitioned to a heavenly cobalt blue as they led upwards to the ceiling.

In the center of the room was a five meter statue of two men and a woman. They stood with straight backs, with one arm on their hips, and the other clutching a space helmet. The woman stood on the right, her face set in a confident sneer, a blaster at her hip, and a knife on her combat harness. The third man stood to the right, slight of figure, with a pair of glasses perched on his nose. He was bony faced, but his eyes held the unmistakable hint of strength and determination.

The central figure stood with a calm smile, a handsome face, and one foot forward. His suit and helmet were the most simple and least customized of the three, save for the blaster at his hip. Kunai recognized it instantly: A Collins-Colonial. An older model favored for reliability, and power. Somehow, she realized, it suited this simple man.

All around the statue, and all over the massive room, were people. Easily more than a hundred, they spoke in a dozen languages and wore clothes from all over the galaxy. They marched with confidence and swagger: Captains. They were here for business, and to revel in the community offered by this massive headquarters. They greeted each other as friends, while maintaining a respectful distance. Each one thought of themselves as independent, coming together only to appreciate a moment of unity and togetherness.

Kunai watched all of this with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

Alyx looked down to her and smiled. She squared her shoulders and grinned.

“Welcome, to the North Star.”


	4. Chapter 4

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
ACT TWO

“Whoa,” Kunai finally choked. She shrugged her shoulders and waved her arms around, trying to encapsulate everything she saw in the distance between her hands.

“What is all this?”

Alyx smiled.

“This is North Star Galactic Headquarters. Our home,” she said softly. She turned on her heel and began to walk towards a lift platform at the far end of the room. From the corner of her eye, she watched Kunai step towards the statue. Alyx turned in alarm and stuck iron into her voice.

“Kunai!” She shouted. The teenager stopped dead in her tracks and turned to her Captain, wide eyed with fear.

Alyx softened somewhat and gestured for Kunai to follow. “This way,” she said more quietly. Behind her, Grim cocked an eyebrow, but raised no protest.

When Kunai was back by Alyx’s side, the trio continued walking.

Hoping to brush past her outburst, Alyx continued her less where she left off. “North Star’s been here a long time. Almost two hundred years,” she said. Kunai looked up at her as she spoke, soaking in every piece of information. “The first spacing guild ever made,” Alyx finished with pride.

“So, what exactly does the guild do?” Kunai asked.

“We help each other,” Alyx answered. “Every North Star captain gives the guild a bit of their profits. That money is used to help in times of crisis.” She smiled and winked at Kunai. “Like repairing a ship after pirate attack, for example.” Kunai smiled back at her.

“It helps keep everyone flying, and therefore, in business.” She gestured around the room. “These offices also help captains find work, gather information, and negotiate for higher paying contracts.”

“So they actually assign you work?” Kunai asked.

Alyx arched an eyebrow. “No one assigns me anything. I’m free to go wherever I want and take whatever work I choose,” she said with a distinct note of professional pride.

Suddenly she grew quiet and looked at the central figure of the statue below. “Captains make their own make fate.” She shrugged and looked back at Kunai. “But, sometimes it’s good to get a little help.”

The trio arrived at the lift. It was a simple design; little more than a pad designed to accommodate one person at a time. Grim was first. He stepped onto the pad, and was slowly lifted up, as if by magic. Kunai balked, although she’d seen anti-gravity in use before.

Grim’s rate of acceleration increased as he approached the second floor. At the apex of the ascent, the lift slowed quickly and he was pulled forward, to land gently on the floor before him.

Alyx and Kunai followed quickly behind him.

A man standing nearby the lift’s exit suddenly lowered the tablet he’d been reading and turned to Grim with elation.

“Grim!” He shouted.

Grim turned to the man, suspicious at first, but after pausing to examine the man, surprise and joy. “Space, you’re still alive!” Grim shouted as he approached the man, his arms held wide in preparation for a hug.

The two men wrapped the other in his arms, and squeezed tightly, each one seemingly trying to choke the life out of the other.

“It’s good to see you, Monty,” Grim said.

The two released, and stepped apart. Kunai inched out from behind the Captain and took a moment to examine this new man: Monty. He was tall, with medium length brown hair, brown eyes, and prominent cheekbones. He wore a long brown coat with the sleeves rolled halfway up, and a narrow blaster in a leather holster strapped to his thigh. He moved and spoke with an easy prattle that immediately endeared him to Kunai. He was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, but moved with the strength and poise of a Captain.

“Likewise…” Monty said with a clasp of Grim’s shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Alyx, who stood two meters away with crossed arms and cocked hips.

“Alyx!” He shouted excitedly. He walked to her confidence, but stopped short just before her, suddenly unsure of himself. Alyx shot a very quick glance at Grim, before presenting her hand, much to Monty’s disappointment.

“Monty,” she said in a somewhat relaxed tone, prompting Kunai to cock an eyebrow.

Monty gently shook the Captain’s hand. Finished, he fixed his thumb through his belt loop and rolled back on his heels, appraising Alyx.

“What’s the trouble, Alyx? You’re harder than usual. Ship still running?” He asked casually.

Alyx scoffed. “Barely. She’s full of holes. Pirate attack out on the Rim.”

“That was you guys? Heard tell you took care of that problem though.”

Grim stepped forward and ducked his head low.

“With extreme prejudice,” he said with a growl and a smile.

“Well, it pays to have a cyborg on board.” He grinned. “How is Allison?”

Alyx sighed deeply and put her hands on her hips. “Rude, insubordinate, psychotic, barely functioning,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes.

“That doesn’t sound like her at all,” Monty said with a light laugh. Apparently noticing her for the first time, Monty turned to Kunai.

“Sorry, young lady. Where are my manners?” Monty bent low in an exaggerated bow, his hand waving towards Kunai, like a performer on stage. “Montgomery Wise. Captain of Said the Lady.”

Kunai stared at Monty, waiting for someone to fill her in on the joke. When the Captain finally returned to his full height, Kunai smiled sheepishly at him.

“Um… nice to meet you, Captain. I’m Kunai,” she said slowly. She presented her hand, which Monty quickly shook. When done, he turned to Alyx.

“New recruit?”

Alyx shrugged and looked at Kunai. “A mechanic from Halcyon. Ran into a little trouble with the law, and decided to stow away.” She shrugged. “After I saw her in action, I decided I couldn’t just leave her out in the cold.”

Monty whistled and turned to Kunai. “Impressive. You gotta be one tight hatch to earn a Falcout’s respect.” He turned back to Alyx. “Going to get her registered?”

“Yep.”

He smiled and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Walk and talk then.”

 

“So how’ve things been?” Monty asked as the four of them walked. Alyx and Monty walked beside one another, while Grim and Kunai walked behind.

Kunai looked up at Grim and studied his expression: tight, to say the least. Kunai wondered if it had something to do with this handsome, gracious, and infinitely interesting Captain walking so close to Alyx. Kunai thought back to the handshake between Monty and Alyx, and wondered that if it wasn’t for Grim’s presence, something more might have happened.

She mentally shrugged and put the thought to the side. There was no need to speculate now.

Alyx shrugged lightly. “Not too bad. We’re staying profitable.” She glanced towards the marble floor. “We’ll have to dip into guild funds to fix the ship, but… profitable.”

“There’s no shame in that. It’s what the guild’s for. You know that,” Monty answered softly. “Where to next?”

Alyx paused for several moments before answering. “We were hoping for the Outer Rim.”

Monty smiled and jabbed Alyx in the ribs. “Far away from the Union, huh?”

Alyx stiffened. “Union’s never bothered me, Monty. But I like the peace and quiet.”

“Uh-huh,” Monty answered, prompting a snide glance from Alyx.

The four of them slowly passed beneath an overhang that housed a restaurant. A single man sat at the edge of the overhang, seated at a table for two. A menu was clutched in one hand, and a cocktail in the other. Slowly, he looked down and noticed the passing group.

In a moment, he seemed to recognize someone in the group, and in a flurry, gestured to someone that Kunai couldn’t see. The group passed beneath the overhang before Kunai could determine if the gesture had been answered.

Alyx was quiet, and had suddenly become very stiff, as had Grim and Monty.

Monty glanced towards Alyx. “I hear there’s a colony fleet heading that way. Could offer some work. A big Union warship is providing escort, though, but I expect you can come and go as you please,” he said softly.

The corners of Alyx’s mouth tightened. “I expect you’re right.”

Monty played at the hem of his jacket. “Not too many guild ships towards the Outer Rim, either,” he said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

“That a fact?” Alyx answered quickly.

“Believe so. You gonna be staying on Rockport long?”

“Long as I need to.”

“Anxious to leave?”

“Anxious to be on my way,” Alyx snapped. She shrugged. “I’ve got no reason to stick around.”

Monty nodded. “I heard tell… the guild’s setting up offices in Seperatist territory.”

Alyx shrugged again, harder this time. “What of it?” She sneered. “If there’s money to be made, might as well make it.”

“Guess so. But rebels aren’t usual North Star clientele.”

“Times change,” Alyx spat.

“True… Still. Seems like the kind of thing that ought to be stopped.”

“I’d say you’re right.”

A woman in a leather jacket and blue jeans stepped out of the crowd and beckoned to Monty.

“Captain Wise!”

Monty stopped walking, as did the rest of the group. He turned towards Alyx with a pained expression. “Well it’s just gossip. Likely there’s not a lick of truth to it.”

His expression brightened. “Hey, if you guys are still here tomorrow night, how about we treat you to dinner?”

Alyx paused several moments before breaking into a smile. “Your treat, huh?” She ran a hand along her chin and smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

Monty smiled wider now. “Alright. See you then.” As he walked towards the woman who had called to him, Monty pointed to Kunai, and put on a faux-serious expression. “Keep it air tight, Kunai.”


	5. Chapter 5

Alyx, Grim and Kunai continued together for several more minutes before arriving at another lift platform. Grim and Alyx exchanged a few words in regards to ship repairs before Grim departed with a wave. Alyx then led Kunai to a separate lift tube, this one large enough for five people at once.

When they entered the tube and began their ascent, Kunai looked at Alyx with an intimate expression.

“Captain Wise seems like a nice guy,” she said.

Alyx grinned, her cheeks blushing slightly. “Monty? He’s a good friend. Dependable.” She looked out onto the headquarters’ ground floor with a wistful look. “Gotten me out of a few scrapes before.”

Kunai nodded politely, then leaned in closer.

“Handsome, too.”

Alyx wheeled on her as they exited the lift. “You mind your own business!”

A man was waiting for them as they stepped off. He was of slight build, with a narrow, angular face, and dressed in a simple business suit. Kunai didn’t like him. He had the air of an errand boy: a spineless coward who simpered and bowed for powerful people. She’d seen dozens like him back on Halcyon. They clung to the heels of foreman and executives, scavenging off their leftovers.

Kunai sneered at the man.

“Excuse me, Captain Falcout,” he said in a hollow voice. Kunai looked at the Captain, and was satisfied to see that she was staring daggers at the man. “The Director would like to speak with you.”

Alyx stared at the man for several moments before looking to Kunai with an exceedingly false smile.

“Go on, I’ll catch up,” she said with a pat to Kunai’s shoulder.

Kunai nodded and walked forward several paces before realizing that she had no idea where to go. She spun on her heel to raise this point with Alyx, only to realize that she was already heading up another lift tube with the man. Kunai cursed, found a nearby bench, and sat down.

 

Alyx didn’t recognize the man. She’d remember a face as smug as his. And he most certainly wasn’t a Captain: no captain she knew would be caught dead wearing a suit in any North Star office. He had the look, the clothes, the attitude and even the smell of some paper pusher. Alyx scowled and thumbed her blaster. The weapon was loaded, but set on safe. There likely wouldn’t be any need for violence.

But there hopefully would be.

The tube ejected Alyx and the man onto an ornate floor that housed dining facilities for any guild members who wanted something to eat while at headquarters. The room was dominated by buffet style food that allowed Captains and crew to quickly eat and depart for the next job. Alyx would occasionally pass someone she recognized, who would begin to wave a friendly greeting before seeing the man by her side. Then they’d shoot her a suspicious glance. Alyx would slowly direct the attention to her blaster, where her hand now rested, and then to the back of the man.

Some of the Captains smiled, or smirked. Others would nod, and point to their own blasters. Alyx would simply nod, and keep walking. But something deep within her swelled with pride. She had friends here, she remembered. Friends who would always have her back.

The man led Alyx past the more public spaces, and out onto a VIP lounge reserved strictly for Captains and higher-ranking guild members. It was an opulent establishment, with all leather chairs, crystal stemware, and the finest liquors the galaxy could provide.

And it was almost entirely empty, Alyx noted with a small thrill. She looked around the room with pride. Old traditions die hard deaths, she thought. No Captain worth their weight would ever be caught dead in here.

Her elation lasted just long enough to notice the one other person in the room. Sitting in the corner, one arm thrown over the glass railing was a handsome man, no older than Alyx. Even sitting down, it was clear he was tall, well built, and confident in every action. His crystal clear blue eyes were unmistakable even now, and his light brown hair was combed to near perfection. The suit he wore was pressed and clean, and he wore it with practice. 

 _Atlas_ , Alyx thought.

Her stomach did flips, and her blood began to boil. She wanted nothing more than to be back aboard the Albatross, far away from this smug corporate hound and his cloying insincerities. She hated the man. Hated him with such deep passion it threatened to overtake every other demon that fought for her attention.

She ran a finger against her blaster one last time, and then placed her hands on her hips.

The man who had fetched her walked briskly to Atlas’ side, knelt low, and whispered into his ear. Atlas turned in his seat, and quickly stood, all smiles. He walked towards Alyx with renewed energy, his hand out stretched.

“Alyx, it’s good to see you,” he said happily. Alyx cracked the barest of smiles and accepted Atlas’ hand, then squeezed it in the most painful death grip she could muster.

Atlas clenched his teeth in pain, prompting Kunai to squeeze even tighter.

“Atlas,” she said politely.

Alyx released Atlas’ hand, and smirked as he tried to suppress his pain. He recovered quickly, and gestured to the table behind him.

“Have you got time for lunch? Catch of the day is maori, I think it’s called.” Alyx cocked an eyebrow and stared at him. A service robot whose chassis had been painted to give the appearance of a tuxedo stepped beside her, a menu in its hand, and a white cloth napkin draped over his arm.

“Anything to drink, ma’am?” The robot asked in a perfectly synthesized voice.

Alyx tilted her head slightly towards the robot. “A glass of water.”

The robot dutifully bowed and headed off towards the bar. Without looking, Alyx pulled a chair away from a nearby table, and sat down. Smiling, Atlas did the same.

Atlas draped one arm over the back of his chair, crossed his legs, and fixed Alyx with one of his more handsome gazes. “How have you been?”

Alyx shrugged. “Surviving.”

“Just surviving?”

“Yep.”

The robot returned with the glass, which it handed to Alyx with a slight bow. Alyx accepted the glass, and with a quick thumb gesture, dismissed the robot.

“A lady of few words,” Atlas said.

“That’s me,” Alyx replied after taking a drink.

Atlas leaned forward slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Business,” came the quick reply.

“How’s business been?” Atlas asked. When Alyx looked at him with a mixture of contempt and absolute loathing, Atlas smiled. “Pirates. What can you do?”

Alyx maintained her poisonous glare for a moment longer before shrugging and taking a sip from her glass.

“The guild directors are meeting soon,” Atlas said. Alyx ignored him. “I can get you a seat, if you like.”

Alyx shrugged. “I’ll pass.”

“We’d like you there.”

Alyx laughed in a mocking tone. “I’m sure you would.”

Atlas grinned and leaned further forward. He put on his best winning smile, and added a pleading note into his voice. “A lot of Captains would like you there.”

Alyx laughed again. “Those people may command ships…” She leaned forward, and fixed Atlas with a poisonous gaze. “But they are not Captains.”

Atlas smiled.

“You’re stubborn,” Atlas said with a wag of his finger. Suddenly he stood up, and sat down at the chair opposite Alyx, who crossed her legs the moment Atlas sat down.

“Alyx…” Atlas began. “It’s been fifteen years. Did you know that? The North Star is changing. I’m asking you to be a part of that change. Understand?”

He laughed awkwardly and briefly bit down on his thumb, suppressing his anger. “You’ve got it in your head that living on the fringe of the galaxy in that rust bucket of a ship-”

Alyx’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Careful!”

“I’m offering you a better life!” Atlas implored.

“Not from where I’m sitting.”

“Listen to me!” Atlas stood, and stared down at Alyx, who did nothing more than look up at him with a laser like focus. “What would your father-”

Alyx’s eyes went wild, and she was out of her seat in a second. She grabbed a handful of Atlas’ shirt collar with her left hand, and smashed her glass of water against his face with her left. Shards of glass exploded all over the floor, and imbedded themselves deep inside the man’s cheeks.

Alyx then quickly grabbed on to Atlas’ belt, and bending at the knee, straining with all her might, flipped the man on to the table behind her, breaking plates and shattering glassware.

As Atlas screamed in pain, Alyx pulled out her blaster and pressed it against the man’s head.  
  
“Listen to _me!_ ” Alyx shouted. Atlas raised his hands in fear, and stared down the barrel of the Collins-Colonial blaster.

Alyx leaned in closer, hovering over Atlas, staring down at him. “Don’t _ever_ mention my father again,” she spat. “Or I’ll make you drip the family colors,” she said with a flex of her right bicep.

She maintained her grip on Atlas’ collar for half a heartbeat longer before pulling away the pistol, and stepping back from the table. But after taking a single step, she turned back, the blaster pointed squarely at Atlas’ chest this time.

“And don’t _ever_ insult my ship,” she spat.

Again she turned, but after beginning to step again, she looked back at Atlas, the blaster now pointed at his groin.

“And don’t _ever_ ask me to eat with you.” She said with a sneer.

Finally she began to walk out, picking glass out of her Hardex gloves as she strode towards the exit. Behind her, she could hear Atlas roll around on the table, and crash to glass covered floor.

“You can’t go on like this forever, Captain Falcout!” He shouted after her. Alyx simply waved a goodbye and pushed her way out the double doors, and into the larger dining area.

A dozen captains and crew greeted her, all of them with angry expressions and blasters drawn. Alyx stopped dead in her tracks, frozen at the wall of thick muscle and weaponry.

A bearded Captain stepped forward.

“Pardon us, Captain Falcout. We thought there was fighting inside.”

Alyx cocked an eyebrow and jerked her thumb towards the door.

“Nothing to worry about. But thank you,” she said politely. The Captain holstered the pistol, as did his companions. Each one returned to their seat, leaving Alyx to smile. She headed towards the lift platform and fingered the sash on her arm, her smile growing with each scrape of the fabric.

 

Alyx found Kunai sitting on the bench where she left her, a bored expression on her face.

“Sorry about that,” she said with a chipper smile. “Come on,” she said indicating another lift.

As they walked, Kunai noted the smile on Alyx’s face, and the small flecks of blood on her forearm. Kunai smiled, and made a mental note never to cross the Captain.


	6. Chapter 6

It was surprisingly hard to find a red light district in a place like Halcyon. All the ills and vices of bygone days had been thoroughly legalized now. Prostitution, both organic and robotic, gambling, and drugs were all but common, which made them mundane. There was a brothel on every corner, each one allowing recreational use of the less harmful elicit substances, and likely a small parlor for gambling. And they looked like any other building. The same conservative architecture, the same pre-fab design, the same everything.

There wasn’t a single person on Halcyon who complained. The businesses didn’t hurt anybody, and so long as they paid their taxes and kept their buildings up to the usual municipal standards, there was no reason to. Far from it. The businesses brought in tremendous amounts of money, and turned what would normally be a corrosive element of society, usually relegated to back alleys and whore houses, into a clean, well-regulated industry.

Which was precisely why Allison hated it. She wanted the grit. She wanted the sin. She wanted people to give her condescending looks, to trudge through the muck and the filth, to exchange a fist full of dollars for some illicit fun. Talking to a robotic secretary about her preferences and being escorted around some perfumed atrium like she was in line at the bank made her stomach crawl.

She sighed. It was the one thing about Rockport she always hated. She considered hitting up a beach later and chasing down some other cyborg who shared similar tastes. They wouldn’t be too hard to find. Not with her body.

The red head made her way down yet another paved road before she stopped, sighed, and began to turn around. She decided to take a dirt footpath through several fields before arriving at her beach of choice. The sun was just reaching its zenith, which meant it would be at maximum power. She shivered thinking about the sun striking her artificial skin. The warmth. The stimulation. She smiled.

“Allison!”

Allison turned, and saw a woman, equal to her in height, standing next to one of the open-air bars that dotted Rockport. The woman was beautiful. Shoulder length black hair that was so polished it shone bright white in the sun. Prominent cheekbones, and a chin so narrow it could cut diamonds. She was of slight build, but with a very generous chest and bottom that betrayed her cyborg nature.

The woman was walking towards Allison, her fists clenched with rage.

“Minerva!” Allison screamed. The woman smiled, and in an instant, exploded forward with incredible energy, propelled by inhumanly strong cybernetic muscles.

She was on Allison in a second. The two locked, muscles straining, steel bending. Minerva disengaged, took a half step back, and wound up for a punch. Allison had just enough to gasp and shield herself before a metallic fist careened into her stomach, launching her backwards and into another bar.

She crashed through the plasteel wall without even slowing down. She stood, unfazed, only to see Minerva in the hole she’d made. The two cyborgs locked again, striking, scratching, and beating each other senseless.

Bystanders fled the bar in a hurry. This was a fight between cyborgs; and they didn’t stand a chance.

Minerva cocked her arm for another blow, leaving her center vulnerable. Allison shot one hand forward and grabbed Minerva around the throat. She drew Minerva close, cocked her fist back and slammed it against Minerva’s skull with every ounce of energy she could muster.

Allison punched, again and again and again. When Minerva was on the verge of collapse, Allison moved her hand from the cyborg’s neck, and grabbed a fistful of hair.

She was about to continue her rain when she noticed a long, inky scar across Minerva’s cheek. The scar was minor to a cyborg, but on an organic human, it would have ripped a person’s face wide open. Allison smirked, and pointed to the same spot on her own cheek.

“That’s new. What happened? You finally decide to carve up that face of yours?” She said with a laugh.

“You happened, witch!” Minerva reached behind herself, snatched an abandoned liquor bottle, and broke it against Allison’s face. The bottle exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere.

Allison screamed in agony. Minerva slowly crawled to her feet. She was about to attack, when she noticed the fist sized dent in her skull plating. She began to massage it as Allison stumbled away.

“You got glass in my eye!” Allison shouted, almost petulantly. She slowly began picking shards of glass out of her eyes. There was no permanent damage, but it was rather unsettling to see the shards in her peripheral vision.

Just as Allison removed the final piece, Minerva grabbed her by the back of the neck and the belt, and tossed Allison through the wall again.

Allison rolled over on the pavement for a moment, blinking several times to ensure all the glass was gone, before she stood and looked at the freshly made hole.

There in the gap was Minerva, casually stepping through.

Allison stood, a sneer growing ever larger on lips. She began to dust herself off. Each pat brought up clouds of sand and shards of glass.

“I was on that ship!” Minerva screamed. Again, she exploded towards Allison, who had no time to defend herself. Minerva landed just before Allison in a perfect fighting stance. In a split second, she had ducked low, her legs cocked and ready to fire. Her fist was back, and with computer controlled precision, rocketed into Allison’s chest. Propelled by the power coiled inside Minerva’s arms, chest, and legs, the red head flew.

She rocketed into the air, sailed past the shops and bars, and crashed into the dunes nearby, landing in a tumble of sand and loose grass. Allison rolled down a slope, and came to a stop in a small depression, spitting sand out of her mouth.

Minerva was by her side in a moment, her fists still clenched.

Allison sneered at her, and dragging herself over to the side of the dune, sat down. She propped her arms up on her knees and fixed Minerva with a lazy expression.

“What ship?” Allison asked idly.

“The pirate ship!” Minerva shrieked.

Allison stared at her for a moment. Then her face twisted into a look of contempt. She began to laugh. A high pitched, nasally laugh that shot an electric current of fury up Minerva’s spine. She walked towards the red head, her face twisting with anger, and the scar opening wide as it was stretched and pulled.

“Stop laughing!” She screamed. “I told that moron captain the Albatross was off limits!” She spat. “He didn’t listen.”

Allison’s laugh came to a slow end. When it was over, she stared at Minerva for several moments, her body occasionally shivering with mirth.

“And you didn’t stop him?” She teased. Her head lolled to the side, and she propped it up again with her hand. “I’m surprised. That’s not like you.”

“I was feeling generous,” Minerva replied in an icy tone.

Allison shrugged. “That’s what you get for being tender hearted.” She stood slowly, and stretched. Minerva’s eyes darted over Allison’s washboard abs, and rested for half a heartbeat over her chest. Allison noticed, and a sly smile developed on her lips.

“Buy you a drink?” She asked coyly.

Minerva sneered. “I’ll buy it myself.”

 

The two walked slowly back into town, ignoring the looks of anger and fear that followed them. The bar they destroyed was slowly re-filling with patrons, and robots were already mending the walls. The owner watched Allison and Minerva walk past. When he stepped forward, maybe in an attempt to bring the two to justice, Allison deployed her shotgun. The man took the hint.

Minerva smirked.

“I missed you,” she said quietly. Allison laughed.

After a brief walk to the other side of the shopping center, the two found a small open-air bar. It was a simple establishment, with bar stools lining a wooden bar, a human bar tender, and shelf upon shelf of drinks.

Allison ordered a Long Island Ice Tea, one of her personal favorites. As she sipped, most of the alcohol was slowly absorbed by the lining of her artificial stomach, broken down into its base components, and quickly converted to a form of chemical fuel that was deposited into one of her tertiary batteries. The rest of the drink was dumped into a waste system that she would have to expel later.

A tiny fraction of the alcohol was allowed to enter her brain, where its soporific effects could be tightly regulated. Allison contemplated briefly, and allowed the alcohol to take its full effect. She could always mitigate it later, but was content to feel good for the time being.

She glanced over at Minerva’s rather shapely cyborg frame. Good call, she thought as she sucked from her straw.

Allison set her drink down and turned to Minerva, somewhat seriously.

“So do I need to keep one eye open now? Is some pirate cadre about to take a shot at me?” She asked, back to the bar, arms splayed out to the side.

“Not likely. They’re all floating in hard vacuum,” Minerva answered idly.

“You were the only one who made it off?”

“I didn’t let them off,” Minerva answered.

Allison looked at her, shocked. “You’re twisted, Minerva,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Thanks.”

Allison laughed. “How much did you lose?”

“Everything,” Minerva said with a slam of her drink. “Weapons. Armor. Spare parts.” She tipped her drink to the sky and finished it in one gulp. Then she handed it over to the bar tender, a teenager with wide, panic filled eyes. Minerva studied the young woman. She had smooth skin. And was well aware she was serving cyborgs.

She turned to Allison. “Everything.”

“Bummer,” Allison said with a laugh and a sip of her drink.

Minerva shrugged. “It’s not so bad. I’ll make enough today to get it all back. And you’re gonna help me.”

Allison set her drink down. “Is that right?”

“New bounty that just came in.” Minerva reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a holographic display cube. She pressed a button on the side, and an image of a bounty was projected with perfect clarity. There on the front was Kunai’s employee ID photo, and a list of her distinguishing features, crimes, and known whereabouts. And at the bottom, in bold print, was the reward: $500,000.

Allison snorted. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. Big Halcyon company’s paying top dollar for some snot kid. That stupid thing’s gonna give me a headache.”

Minerva leaned in. “She’s on your ship, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, and the captain’s in love with her,” Allison sneered.

“So what? You never liked her anyway. Falcouts have always been such a stuck up bunch.” She leaned in even closer now. “I’ll give you twenty five percent.”

Allison tilted her head, the corner of her mouth tugged. She took a long pull from her drink and set the glass back down. “The kid will be a North Star member by now.”

Minerva rolled her eyes. “Please. North Star hasn’t been a major player for fifteen years. They can’t stop me.” She smiled and put the cube back in her pocket. “This’ll be the easiest job I’ve ever pulled. I just need an extra gunman, and everything’s set.”

“Well, good luck finding one.” Allison pulled out a fistful of Union notes and set them on the bar top, where the bartender quickly snatched them away. She then stood from her bar stool, and began to walk into the street.

“You owe me!” Minerva shouted after her.

Allison stopped and turned. “Yeah, an extra shot to the face!” She waved her hand down the street, exasperated. “The kid’s part of a Falcout crew now. She’s off limits.”

“Why do you work for that witch anyway?”

Allison shrugged. “She’s a steady pay check. Set’s me loose from time to time.”

Minerva sneered. “You’ve gone soft.” She took a pull from her drink and fixed Allison with a contemptuous glare. “The Allison I remember would’ve ripped the jaw off anyone who wanted to treat her like that.”

Allison’s mouth tugged back into a wicked sneer. She flicked her wrist once, and a double-edged blade the length of her forearm shot out the top of her wrist.

“You wanna die, Minerva?”

The two women stared at each other. The bartender ducked behind the bar. Bystanders ran for cover. A few blasters were removed from holsters. But nobody took a step towards the cyborgs. These were evil women, people saw. They gave no pause over the death of others, save for the pleasure it gave them.

Finally, Minerva shrugged.

“Fine. Whatever. Just stay out of my way. Alright?”

Allison retracted her blade, pulled her sunglasses out of her pocket, put them on, and walked down the street.

Minerva slid off her barstool and called after her.

“Hey, Allison! If you ever get tired of playing body guard, gimme a call!”

Allison sneered and kept walking.


	7. Chapter 7

Kunai was getting bored. Alyx had been ushering her from one office to the other, making her sign form after form after form for the last hour. Each one had been more complicated than the last. She’d been photographed, had her blood drawn, her fingerprints scanned, her eyes checked, her flesh poked, and her hair sampled.

All of it done by a mix of second rate robots and overworked bureaucrats.

Now she sat in what Alyx told her was the final stop before she was an official member of the North Star. It was a cramped office, barely large enough to hold herself,

Alyx, and the middle aged pencil pusher who sat behind the desk. Kunai cocked an eyebrow as the man turned around to retrieve a file from the shelf behind him.

There was a blaster strapped to his lower back.

 _Everyone’s got a blaster here_ , Kunai thought.

The man turned back around and sat down at his simple wooden desk.

“Alright, Kunai. You’re almost done here.”

Kunai sat forward in her seat.

“Finally,” she muttered.

The man glanced up from his paperwork. “What? You don’t like bureaucracy?” He said in a very serious tone.

“No,” Kunai answered after a short pause. Alyx glared down at her, eliciting a short note of panic in Kunai. She sat up straighter. “Sir.”

The man smiled. “Well, neither do I.”

He fiddled with some of his forms, swiping back and forth on the holographic display and tablet computer. “Everything checks out, except for two things. First, level of education…”

Kunai sat up a little straighter. She glanced at Alyx, who was staring directly at the man, and then looked at the man himself.

“What… what about it?” Kunai asked nervously.

The man thumbed through some of his holographic displays.

“Well, my records show that you only completed two years of high school, and have yet to enter any higher education program.”

Kunai looked at the ground. “Oh, yeah… that’s correct.” She whipped her head up and looked at Alyx, who looked back at her with the same cold expression she wore on the bridge.

“But I got really high grades while I was in! I had to drop out so I could get a job and support myself!”

The man cleared his throat. “It’s alright, Kunai, we’re not blaming you. Just wanted to confirm.”

Kunai looked at the floor again.

“I’m not an idiot or anything…” she mumbled.

Alyx put a hand on her shoulder. Kunai shivered.

“We know, Kunai,” Alyx said quietly.

The man checked a number of boxes on his displays and looked at Alyx critically. “Ma’am, crew competency is your jurisdiction, but the guild prefer all its members have a basic grasp of math and science.”

“I’ve got a basic grasp,” Kunai whispered.

Alyx removed her hand from Kunai’s shoulder a looked at the man, one eyebrow cocked.

“Doctor Young will act as her tutor.” She looked at Alyx in softness. “We’ll bring her up to speed.”

The man nodded. He pulled up a new display. “Very well. And the second matter… Your criminal record.”

Alyx sat up a little straighter and furrowed her brow. “I’ve already filed paperwork about that.” A hint of steel entered her voice. “No legal authority recognized by North Star assumes her guilt, or is pressing charges.”

The man nodded. “True. We also received your personal voucher of the girl’s character.” He held up his tablet for Alyx and Kunai to see.

Kunai looked at the Captain, who was staring resolutely ahead. Kunai blushed. She didn’t know Alyx had filed a “personal voucher of the girl’s character.” She wondered what was inside.

The man kept talking. “Considering your reputation in the guild, ma’am, I’m obviously going to give it a lot of weight.” Alyx glanced at the floor. “But, for the record…”

The man tapped away on his keyboard, and a hologram of a microphone was projected over the table. He pointed the microphone towards Kunai, and leaned forward in his chair, a very serious look on his face.

“Kunai Halcyon, do you swear that the limited nuclear detonation on Halcyon was the result of corruption and negligence on the part of your superiors, and you being forced to work on substandard equipment, rather than your desire to destroy private property, and join the ranks of the Seperatists?”

Kunai blinked twice and glanced toward Alyx.

“Um… yes.”

The man deactivated the mike, and sat back in his seat.

“Alright, that settles that.” He handed Kunai his tablet and pen. “Please sign here,” he said, indicating a line.  
Kunai accepted the tablet and pen, and quickly signed where told. She handed the tablet back to the man, who looked over the paperwork for a moment, then stood, as did Alyx.

The man walked around his desk, and presented his hand to Kunai.

“Welcome to the North Star,” he said.

 

The two were walking down the steps when Alyx realized Kunai hadn’t said a word since completing the last of the paperwork. She looked down at the teenager, whose eyes had glazed over, and whose mouth was now tugged into a grim frown.

Alyx nudged her in the shoulder.

“You okay?” She asked.

Kunai’s whole body jerked, like she’d been woken up from a very deep sleep.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. Alyx frowned deeply, prompting Kunai to smile. “Yeah, fine!” She said more cheerfully.

She looked out at the city with a crooked smile and, after a pause where she appeared to be thinking rapidly, shrugged her shoulders. “I just thought I’d have to raise my hand up in front of a flag, or… maybe some fanfare, you know?”

Alyx laughed, which brought a look of relief to Kunai.

“Fanfare? You want them to set off a firecracker every time you write your signature?”

“Not like that!” Kunai said sheepishly.

Grim arrived at Alyx’s side, wearing a broad grin.

“What happened?” He asked in his deep growl.

Alyx flicked a thumb towards Kunai.

“Kunai wants a pat on the back every time she fills out a form.”

Grim smirked. “Hm… Not as momentous as you expected, huh? That’s paperwork for you,” he said with a shrug.

“You get the funds?” Alyx asked.

“Guild mechanics should be patching the ship back together right now.”

Kunai was ignoring the conversation. Her head had sunk low, and she walked with a disinterested lope. Her mind was still back in the guild office, with the middle-aged bureaucrat.

She’d forgotten about her education; it had never been a problem before. Nobody on Halcyon had a high school diploma, because nobody needed to. Everyone she knew had a trade. They worked with their hands. Book learning just meant they had to wait a few more years to make money and support themselves.

Kunai looked at the ground. Now she was on a spaceship, and had no idea what she needed to know. _What if they make me steer the ship?_ She thought. She quickly dismissed the idea. They had Burke, Thai and Jack for that.

 _But what if I have to know math?_ That was harder to put away. Thus far, she’d never needed calculus or geometry. They simply didn’t serve a purpose in the garage.

But on a spaceship, who knew? She’d already seen Jack use math to calculate their trajectory when they were moving cargo last night.

Kunai bit her lip and kept walking.

A car horn beeped long and loud, prompting Alyx, Grim and Kunai to look down the road.

Jack was barreling down the road in the Grizzly, his grin stretching from ear to ear. He peeled off the road at top speed, allowing the car’s massive shock absorbers to compensate for the g-forces that threatened to send the car into a roll. Slamming onto the breaks and turning the wheel, he sent the vehicle into a tightly coordinated spin, and brought it neatly into a parking space directly in front of the Captain.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He shouted as he set the car in park.

Alyx marched next to the passenger side door and jammed a finger in the young man’s face.

“Jack Yeager, if you ever do that to my car again, I’ll ground you so fast your neck will snap!” She shouted.

Jack looked at her, a somewhat smug smile on his face. “Yes, ma’am,” he said sheepishly.

Grim stalked up next to Alyx, grinning.

“How’d it go?”

“See for yourself,” Jack replied with a flick of his thumb towards the car’s bed. Crates were stacked to capacity, and tied in with rope and cargo lashes. Alyx nodded in approval.

“Good. Get out,” she ordered.

Jack unbuckled from his chair and leapt out from the car. He was about to walk to the other side of the car and stand next to Kunai, when Grim stopped him. The burly sailor pointed towards Alyx, indicating that Jack listen.

“Alright you two, the rest of the day is yours. Stay out of trouble, and don’t do anything to embarrass myself, the crew, or my ship. Understand?” She looked at Kunai.

“And you don’t do anything to embarrass the guild.”

Jack and Kunai nodded in acknowledgement.

Alyx looked to Kunai with an almost tender smile. “One more thing.”

“What?”

Alyx reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wallet. She withdrew a tight bundle of bills and handed it to Kunai.

“A small gift. One hundred Union Notes. Good for anything this side of the Armistice Line.”

Kunai stared at the wad of cash, dumbstruck.

“Captain, I can’t…” She stuttered.

Alyx smiled. “You can, and you will.” She shrugged. “Get yourself some new clothes, buy a nice meal. Have a good time.”

Slowly, Kunai accepted the bills. She stared at them for a long time, realizing that the only time she ever held this much money at once was when she’d just finished a job for Reynolds.

She frowned and pocketed the money, careful not to let Alyx see her face.

“I’ll repay you somehow, Captain,” she said.

Alyx laughed and gave Kunai’s shoulder a tender squeeze. “This is a gift, Kunai. Don’t worry about it.”

 

The moment Grim saw Alyx remove the roll of bills, Grim turned to Jack.

“Listen here,” he said with a jab to Jack’s chest. “This is Kunai’s first time away from home, understand?” Jack nodded.

“She’s got no family, and no friends. We’re all she has.” Grim bent a little lower, and stared deep into Jack’s eyes. “That’s eating her, I can tell. So you’re going to look after her, alright?”

Jack leaned slightly backwards, trying to back away from Grim. He glanced towards Kunai and raised his arms in a conciliatory manner.

“Grim, I’m pretty sure she can take care of herself. She’s not some dainty waif, she flattened a cop, remember?”

“Listen.” He placed a massive Jack’s shoulder, and drew the young man closer. “She’s on our crew now. And on a crew, you look after each other. Period.” He ducked his head again, and squeezed Jack’s shoulder. “Understand?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, Grim. I got it.”

“Good. Now get lost.” Grim turned Jack around and pushed the sailor towards Alyx.

 

Kunai blushed slightly as she put the bills in her pocket. “Thanks, ma’am.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said.

Jack and Grim had arrived now.

Alyx looked at Kunai and Jack. “Be back by ten, alright you two?”

“Sure thing, Cap,” Jack said.

Alyx climbed into the passenger seat, to Grim’s surprise. Somewhat disturbed, he climbed into the drivers seat, started the car, and pulled onto the road.

“Later!” Jack called with a wave as the car sped headed down the road. Once the Grizzly was out of sight, he turned to Kunai. “Alright. Where to?”


	8. Chapter 8

Jack led Kunai deeper into the city. The shops, restaurants, and hotels increased in density, as did the people. But nowhere did the crowd reach the rib-crushing levels that Kunai had grown up with on Halcyon. Everyone was content to give their neighbor space.

Interspersed between the people and businesses was the occasional garden and park. They were simple decorations, considering that the planet’s natural foliage had progressed little beyond knee-length grass. But it was high noon, and these patches of greenery were dominated by sunbathers, couples, and the occasional picnicker.

Kunai soaked it all in with a broad grin and hands wringing each other with excitement. She loved the sand, the grass, the sun, the people, and above all the warmth. It was infectious, and it felt like her very soul was heating up.

“I love this city!” She cried to Jack.

“Yeah?” He asked casually. He’d been watching her. Admiring the curve of her smile, her spirit, the way she looked at the world around her. She was beautiful, but it was her approach to life that suddenly had him interested.

“Yeah!” Kunai said with an intoxicating sense of wonder. “Just look at it!”

Jack looked around himself, and shrugged. “What am I looking at?”

Kunai groaned. “You can’t see it.”

“What?” Jack asked, genuinely perplexed.

Kunai sighed and waved her arms around, struggling to convey her joy.

“It’s just…” She struggled. “Coming from Halcyon… I never thought I’d see a place like this.”

She looked up, smiling. “I mean… the sun’s out. People are happy.” She shrugged and looked at Jack. “It’s nice, you know?”

Jack smiled back at her. “Guess I can appreciate that.”

 

The two walked for several more minutes, passing a number of kiosks selling everything from food to blasters when Jack turned to Kunai.

“So what’s the plan? We could get some lunch… something to drink… we could get you some clothes,” he said with a light flick of Kunai’s Hardex jacket, which in the heat of the day, she’d resorted to draping over her shoulder.

Kunai laughed lightly. “That would be good, since this is… literally the only thing I have to wear,” she said, picking at her red shirt.

“Let’s go with that,” Jack nodded.

“Where do we start?”

Jack stopped and flicked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating a very bohemian looking clothing store. Kunai cocked a hip and eyebrow.

“Outward Bound has pretty good stuff for Spacers. Kind of on the fashionable side,” Jack said.

Kunai scoffed. “Yeah, but they sell a lot of knock-off stuff.”

Jack stared at her. “What?”

Kunai shifted her weight and looked at the store suspiciously. “Everything they sell is fake. I got a jacket from them once, it fell apart like a week later because they used cheap glue.”

When she saw Jack’s increasingly large grin and his futile attempts to suppress his oncoming laughter, Kunai’s eyes narrowed.

“What?” She said with displeasure.

Jack’s grin stretched from ear to ear now. “Uh... That may’ve been the case on Halcyon, but these guys are the genuine article.” He said with another flick of his thumb. “They sell actual Outward Bound stuff.”

Kunai blushed.

“Oh,” she said, embarrassed. “Cool.”

The two began to walk inside the store.

“Brave new world, huh?” Jack said.

Kunai scowled.

“You know, you don’t have to come with me,” she said with acid in her voice.

Jack shrugged, oblivious. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s your first time on another world. I wanna be here for you.”

“I don’t need a baby sitter,” Kunai spat.

“I know,” Jack said with a shrug.

Kunai glanced at Jack.

“There’s got to be something you’d rather be doing than shopping.”

A woman walking the opposite direction recognized Jack and fixed him with a demure gaze. This did not go beyond Kunai’s notice. She quickly scanned the woman from head to toe.

Tall, thin, generously proportioned in all the correct places, with narrow, green eyes, and dark black hair. Jack noticed the woman as well, but stared resolutely ahead. His concentration cracked somewhat as she got closer.

“Uh…” He dribbled.

“Hi, Jack,” the woman said in a sultry tone as she walked by.

Kunai stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Jack, mouth agape. Jack refused to look at her and instead blew air out of his mouth in a sign of exasperation before pointing towards the store.

“Moving on.”

 

Kunai was undressing in the store’s changing room when an idea struck her.

“Hey… How many planets have you been on?” She called out.

Jack was sitting in a chair just outside the changing room. He’d considered pulling out his holographic display cube and playing a rhythm memory game or some other distraction, but had dismissed the idea. It would be a disservice to Kunai, he concluded, and a dereliction of the duty Grim had given him.

Jack smirked. _That’s odd,_ he thought. He’d never considered himself to be a person so obedient they’d refuse to play a video game in their free time. He mentally shrugged.

“Twenty five,” he finally answered.

“Is that a lot?” Kunai asked as she buckled the pair of shorts she was trying on.

“Not really,” Jack answered.

Kunai stopped. “Not really?” She repeated sarcastically.

“There’s at least three hundred colonized planets out there. Probably a lot more. But good luck seeing them all.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well, some of them are dangerous. I’ve been to a few of those. Super fun times.” Jack smiled. “I know you hate her, but you’ll be grateful Allison’s around when we land on one of those planets.”

Kunai scoffed. “Fat chance.”

With the shorts finally buckled, Kunai opened the door of the changing room and stepped through. The shorts were part of Rockport’s latest fashion trend: a pair of tight-fitting cargo shorts that extended to mid thigh, with ultra tight black undergarments that extended to just above the knee. The effect was somewhat paradoxical: practical, yet titillating at the same time.

“What do you think?” Kunai asked. “I’ve never really worn shorts before. Summers on Halcyon were still pants weather.”

Jack shrugged and sat forward. He’d made his decision the moment Kunai opened the door, but he felt it was necessary, and polite, to make a show of coming to a conclusion. Finally, he nodded his head and smiled in satisfaction.

“Nah, it looks good. But I suggest buying stuff you can wear anywhere in the galaxy,” he advised.

“So…”

“Basically pants and long sleeve shirts.” Kunai groaned and ducked back inside the changing room. Jack stood and began to mill around the store. “If you’ve got anything left over, then yeah, shorts to the max. Otherwise, stick with the basics. Maybe get some new boots, or some pajamas.”

Kunai quickly changed back into her pants and began to re-lace her boots, muttering to herself.

“All new clothes on top of everything else, huh?” She said under her breath.

“Hey, are you a sunglasses person?” Jack called.

Kunai shrugged. “Sure.”

Her pants buckled and her boots laced, she opened up the changing room door and stepped outside, only to have Jack slide a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.

“Bam!” He shouted.

Kunai staggered back for a moment, righted herself, and approached a nearby mirror. She looked at herself, and was presently surprised by what she saw. The glasses were semi-rectangular, with reflective lenses and a golden brown frame. They were ultra light, and stylish.

She shifted her head from side to side, then smiled from ear to ear.

“You like’em?” Jack asked.

Kunai nodded her head and handed the glasses back. “Yeah.”

“Good, they’re on sale. My treat,” Jack said.

Kunai raised her hands in protest.

“No way, I got’em,” she implored.

Jack raised his own hand.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. Consider it a ‘welcome aboard’ gift. And besides, every Spacer needs a good pair of aviators.”

The two smiled. Kunai grabbed her pair of shorts and looked around the rest of the store, sighing.

“Guess every spacer needs a good pair of pants too, huh?”

Jack smiled and walked further into the store. “And a good jacket, and boots and socks and shirts and a whole bunch of other stuff.”

Kunai smirked and followed him. “This is going to get expensive, isn’t it?”

“Ah, don’t worry. The Captain’s gift will get you most of the way. Just… enjoy the moment.”

 

Outside the store, standing on the roof of the building across the street, was Minerva. She could see Jack and Kunai, with eyes that pierced through concrete and steel like they were thin air.

She flexed her arm, feeling the weight of her concealed shotgun and skewering blade. She’d checked both just after her fight with Allison. She smiled. Everything was in place now. She was ready.


	9. Chapter 9

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
ACT THREE

Jack walked briskly down the steps of the store, a broad grin on his face. Kunai looked up from the bottom of the stairs where she’d been waiting. This was the third store the two had visited in the last hour, and she was exhausted. Shopping was a surprisingly mind numbing process. Kunai smirked. How the women on TV and in movies did “shopping sprees” was beyond her.

“Alright, everything’s on its way to the rental house,” Jack said as he stepped closer. “How much money have you got left?”

Kunai dug a hand into her jeans and pulled out what remained of the Captain’s gift. She counted the money quickly and looked at Jack with a smirk.

“Forty five cents,” she said before replacing the money.

Jack scrunched up his face in satisfaction and pointed down the street.

“Alright. Lunch is on me,” he said. “What’re you in the mood for?”

 

Across the street, a young man spotted Jack out of the crowd. He stared at the face and robotic arm for a heartbeat before making the connection. The man’s eyes went wide with recognition, and his heart leaped.  
“No way,” he said quietly.

 

Kunai scratched behind her ear and looked everywhere except towards Jack.

“Uh…” came her answer.

Jack smiled and rolled his eyes. “You’re about to tell me you don’t know.”

Kunai wheeled on him, angry.

“Well it’s not like I ate out very often!” She shrugged. “And everything here is different anyway…”

Jack remained quiet for several moments before looking back at Kunai, grinning. “This really is a whole new world for you, isn’t it?”

Kunai ignored the jab and stared straight ahead.

 _It’s not my fault,_ she thought. She never had money to eat out back on Halcyon, except for the extra pay that Reynolds gave her. And that was usually allocated to rent, or groceries, or emergencies. Restaurants were a luxury she could almost never afford.

She glared at Jack. Having disposable income was something he was used to. He’d never had scrounge through the garbage, or go hungry. He’d never had to beg, or steal, or demean himself just to eat. He’d lived a life of privilege.

Suddenly she was angry at him. All the insecurities and fury that she’d been storing up for the last three days threatened to erupt, when a man shouted from behind the two.

“THINK FAST!” He called.

Jack and Kunai turned on their heels to see a large man running towards Jack at half tilt. Jack raised his arms in defense, but it was far too late. The man caught Jack under the shoulder blades, and quickly tackled him into a nearby patch of sand and grass. Kunai watched all of this with a mix of wonder and alarm.

The man rubbed Jack’s face into the sand for a moment before leaping off the helpless sailor, taking a few steps back, and adopting a fighting stance.

Recovering from her stupor, Kunai angled towards the man, her fist cocked and ready to fight, when the man turned to her, and winked. Kunai froze in her tracks and stared at the man, silently wondering what to do.

Jack finally stood, red faced, heart pounding, and eager to draw blood. He spun and looked at the man, his fist cocked and ready to fire. But in the slim moment it took to find the man’s face, and therefore a target, Jack froze. His fist hung in mid-air for a heartbeat, before understanding dawned on him.

“Jose?” he said slowly.

Jose dropped his fighting stance, bringing his arms wide for a hug.

“Hey, buddy!” He said.

Jack moved in quickly, and the two gave one another a tremendous bear hug. The embrace was so fierce that Kunai was afraid they’d crush one another: Jack, using his mechanical arm, and Jose, with a very impressive set of muscles.

He was a touch shorter than Jack, but significantly more built. Jose wore a loose fitting dark polo with blue jeans, but his massive arms chest, abs, thighs, calves, and even neck muscles were prominently displayed nonetheless. More than that, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, not even on his face, which was shaved to a smooth shine, as was his scalp.

He was fit and trim, without a single extraneous element. He was like a weapon; polished, shaped, and sharpened for a singular purpose.

While they hugged, a woman stepped by Kunai’s side. She was taller, with close cropped red hair, and trim muscles that threatened to burst her shirt open at the seams. Her eyes were green, and her face was heavily dotted with freckles. She delivered a quick nod and a smile to Kunai, which was not returned.

The two men released one another. Jack staggered for a moment, still apparently stunned from the arrival of his friend.

“What gives, what’re you doing here?” He asked.

Jose flicked a thumb over his shoulder, towards the space elevator. “Okinawa’s escorting some colony fleet. So I’m along for the ride.”

“How ‘bout that?” Jack said with a nod. He looked to Kunai, and pointed towards Jose. “Kunai, this is Jose Gonzalez, my best buddy from Hermes, the planet I’m from.”

He then pointed to the red headed woman. “And this is Leah Smith, his…”

“Co-worker?” Leah said with a shrug and an accent.

“Sure,” Jack finished. He took a step towards Kunai and briefly shook her shoulder with his prosthetic arm.

“Guys, this is Kunai. New mechanic we picked up from Halcyon.”

Kunai smiled and presented her hand to the two new arrivals.

“Good to meet you, Jose,” she said with a shake of Jose’s muscular hand. “Leah.”

“What’re you doing here, man?” Jose asked.

“I’m looking for lunch! Come on!”

Jack waved to the other three and headed down the street, eager to find somewhere to eat.

 

The four of them marched down the street at a casual pace, which somehow seemed to annoy Jose and Leah, both of whom walked with straight backs and seemed like they were straining to go faster than was socially comfortable.

Jose and Jack walked up front, while Kunai and Leah walked behind.

“How’s the Albatross?” Jose asked as they walked.

“Full of holes. Pirate attack.” Jack slapped Jose across the chest, drawing a look of ire. “Which, by the way, thanks for that!”

“What did we do?” Jose asked incredulously.

Jack pointed behind the group. “It’s Rockport, dude. 45 minutes that way is Union space, and you guys can’t keep a few pirates out?”

“That’s the Navy’s fault, bro, not ours.” Jose answered.

Kunai looked between Jose and Leah, her curiosity suddenly piqued.

“Wait, are you guys in the military?”

Leah nodded. “Yep.”

“Yeah, we’re Union Marines.” Jose answered.

Kunai’s eyebrows shot up. She suddenly understood the reason behind the bulging muscles, close cropped hair, and rigid walk. These two were the elite. She’d seen them in movies and TV shows. Marines were the armored fist of the Union, launching from starships clad in powered armor, riding metal cocoons straight onto Hegemony troops.

They carried nukes, blasters and knives. They were supposed to be physically perfect, and trained to levels of absolute discipline. They did not break.

Kunai raised an eyebrow. “Cool.”

Jose smiled. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

“Not as cool as you’d think, though,” Leah said. Kunai glanced at her. She’d only heard her accent in movies. Although it bore some passing familiarity to Grim’s guttural speech, Kunai couldn’t quite place it.

Jose looked over his shoulder at Kunai, smirking. “Yeah, don’t believe what you see in the recruiting commercials.”

Jack smiled. “Kill any dragons lately?”

“You _slay_ dragons, bro. Not kill them,” Jose said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

Jack waved his hands in the air. “Oh, my mistake.”

“What’s wrong with the military?” Kunai asked.

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Leah began. “They sucker you in with promises of adventure and all that. But it’s a total bait and switch. We spend more time cleaning our armor and scrubbing deck plates than actually in combat.”

Kunai shrugged. “Is that really something to be upset about?” She asked quietly.

Leah nodded. “Yeah, kind of. The usual stuff get’s boring, you know? I’d be cool with someone shooting at me just to shake things up a little! …So long as they missed.”

Jose looked over his shoulder again. “Let me put it to you this way. I wouldn’t stop being a Marine for anything. But you may’ve gotten lucky,” he said with a finger tap to Jack’s prosthetic arm. “It can suck sometimes.”

Jack shrugged. “What’s the problem?”

Leah groaned and folded her hands behind her head.

“The next six months, that’s what!”

“Why?” Kunai asked.

“While everyone else in the company’s out patrolling the Armistice line fighting Seperatists and pirates and stuff, our platoon’s on escort duty. It’s glorified babysitting!” Leah shouted to the sky.

Jose looked over his shoulder at Leah.

“Could you tone down the complaining, for like, a half hour?”

Leah’s head snapped down, and she glared at Jose in utter shock and revulsion.

“Oh, look at mister high and mighty over here! One promotion and he forgets all about the way of the E-3!” She pointed a finger at him. “Traitor!”

Jack smiled and jabbed Jose in the ribs.

“Hey, you were promoted? Nice, man!”

Jose kept his eyes directly in front of his feet for several moments. When his gaze shifted to Jack, the trainee pilot shrank back. The joy had fled from Jose’s eyes, and the smile had disappeared. Nothing had taken their place.

“Thanks, dude,” he finally said.

The four of them walked for several moments, each one unwilling to raise the subject of Jose’s sudden silence. Growing more uncomfortable, Jack smiled, and poked Jose in the ribs. He slowly leaned over, and angled his head so he was certain everyone would be able to hear.

“I still make more than you, right?” He said far too loudly.

Kunai and Leah both smiled, as did Jose. The Marine nodded his head up and down, satisfied.

“Yeah, probably.”


	10. Chapter 10

The four of them found a small open-air restaurant that offered the usual food found all across Union space: Western, European, and Asian. The food was inexpensive, but considering how crowded the restaurant was, at least satisfactory.

They were ushered to a small table pressed against the side of the road by a robot dressed in an apron and handed simple paper menus. Kunai perused her options, a slight wave of panic overcoming her. For a moment, she forgot that she wasn’t on Halcyon, and believed that the smallest expenditure here would upset her entire bank account.

Fortunately, the panic quickly faded, and she remembered that Jack was covering her tab. She briefly looked at the dessert menu, before deciding that it would be better not to take advantage of her new friend’s kindness.

Jose quickly made his selection and placed his menu down.

“So how’s the pilot training going?” He asked Jack.

Jack smiled. “Great. Burke thinks I’ll be certified for space flight within the month!”

“Hey! That’s great man!” Jose answered enthusiastically.

“What’s after that?” Kunai asked.

Jack set his own menu down. “In-atmosphere. But I’m still working on my Universal License, and that’ll probably take another two years.”

Leah’s eyebrows shot up. “Universal? That’s big, man. Most of the pilots on the Okinawa don’t even have that.”

Jose looked at her with suspicion.

“How would you know that?” He asked slowly.

Leah tilted her head. “Because I talk to people outside the infantry!”

“There are people outside the infantry?” Jose asked sarcastically.

Kunai sheepishly looked at Jack.

“Universal License?” She said quietly.

Jack, Jose, and Leah looked at her. Jose and Leah looked shocked, and stared at her like she’d just wandered out of the psych ward. It stung. Jack looked at her with a mix of compassion and embarrassment.

Kunai scowled and looked at her menu.

Jack smiled lightly.

“Yeah. Bikes, cars, rovers, planes, copters, and ships. Big and small. If it’s got an engine and a control interface, I’ll be allowed to steer it,” he said.

Kunai nodded but kept staring at her menu.

“Cool,” she said, ignoring the looks she was still getting from Jose and Leah.

Jose glanced at Jack just long enough to get the man’s attention. When their eyes locked, Jose delivered a meaningful glance towards Kunai, and raised his eyebrow. Understanding perfectly, Jack gave a solid nod of his head, which Jose returned. The two then looked back at their menus, the exchange having taken less than two seconds, but the message clearly delivered.

As Jack was about to open a new topic of conversation, a fist-sized lump of steel clattered onto the table, spilling a small tray of condiments. Jack and Kunai watched the object as it bounced across the table. It was spherical, with a small button at the top, and holes every two millimeters. Kunai realized she’d seen an object like this before: on the wall of the Albatross’ armory.

Jose and Leah didn’t have to think about what the object was. They knew instinctively.

“GRENADE!” The two shouted in unison. Both stood from their chairs, turned, and leapt as far away from the deadly weapon as possible. Jack and Kunai, slower to react, did the same, crashing over their chairs and upending tables as they tried to flee.

The grenade bounced off the table and landed on the ground below. A quarter second passed before it detonated, emitting a thunderclap of sound, a violent flash of light, and poring smoke from its numerous holes.

The smoke filled the area quickly, billowing in a tremendous grey cloud that engulfed the entire restaurant in seconds.  
Jack stood, unable to see even his own hands through the inky blackness. Splaying his arms wide to keep himself from walking into anything, he stumbled over the tangle of chairs and tables, looking for Kunai.

Over Jose and Leah’s shouts, Jack heard tremendous footfalls. They were heavy, like steel slamming into pavements. He turned, and through the darkness saw a massive shadow. It was a person, easily over two meters tall, and they were moving towards him with alarming determination.

“Allison?” Jack asked.

The person paused for a second, and then charged.

Jack had only enough time to panic before the person shattered the blackness, and was on top of him. It was a woman, with black hair, a tremendous scar, and the nastiest grin Jack had ever seen.

Jack shouted in panic and adopted a fighting stance, but to no avail. The woman cocked her fist back, and delivered a terribly energetic punch straight to his stomach.

Jack vomited instantly, and was rocketed backwards, knocking over tables and chairs as he flew.

“Jack!” Kunai screamed.

Jack slammed into the ground, rolled twice, and finally stopped when he crashed against the side of the restaurant. Rolling in pain, he clutched his stomach, moaning.

His eyes watered, and his nose ran.

Slowly, he lifted up his shirt, revealing a massive purple bruise that covered his entire stomach. A fine red scar of broken skin made a perfect outline of a fist.

Jack screamed, and laughed. “Ah! Wow!”

Jose followed the sounds of Jack’s moans, and quickly pierced the fog, arriving at his side with a sense of controlled urgency.

Jose recoiled when he saw the massive bruise on Jack’s stomach, but maintained the same look of composure under pressure.

“What happened?” He asked in a carefully modulated voice.

Jack sat up a little straighter and pointed into the fog.

“Someone really good at punching took Kunai!”

Jose grabbed onto Jack’s shoulders and pulled the man to his feet, ignoring Jack’s groans. The two walked out of the fog, which had now engulfed the entire street corner, and arrived at the side of the road.

Leah was already waiting for them, scanning the surrounding buildings. Just as Jack and Jose arrived by her side, she pointed off into the distance.

“There!” She cried.

Jack followed where she pointed and saw the same woman who had punched him. She was crouched on the roof of a building opposite the restaurant, Kunai slung over her shoulder.

The woman noticed the trio, and laughed. She pointed her arm towards the three, and deployed a blaster rifle.

“Cover!” Jose screamed.

As Leah dove behind a set of garbage cans, Jose grabbed onto Jack’s shirt and pulled him behind an upturned table.

The cyborg opened fire, ripping the air wide open with super heated shots of radiation. The blasts landed less than a meter from the trio, blasting a smooth line across the pavement. Superheated chunks of road violently expanded, cracked, and exploded.

The cyborg’s fire lasted for less than two seconds, and then she was gone.  
Jose, Leah and Jack came out from behind their cover just in time to see Kunai’s boots disappear behind the building. Jack stood and looked at where the cyborg had been standing.

“Galaxy, was she just kidnapped?” He shouted. “That actually happens?” He shouted to Jose.

“Come on!” Jose shouted back.

Jose led Leah and Jack down the road, following the direction the cyborg was most likely to take. The moment they rounded the corner, Jose spotted the cyborg: she leapt from a nearby building down to street level, into a car, and sped down the road, her tires sending inky black clouds into the air.

Jose stopped and spun, facing the other two. “We need a vehicle!”

“On it!” Jack called. He then turned, faced a man propped against the hood of his car, which still had the keys in the ignition. Jack smiled at the man, and raised his hands, palms out, in a gesture of peace.

“EXCUSE ME, SIR! DO YOU MIND IF WE BORROW YOUR CAR TO RESCUE MY FRIEND WHO WAS JUST KIDNAPPED BY A RAGING CYBORG? I PROMISE WE’LL BRING IT RIGHT BACK HERE WHEN WE’RE DONE, AND IT WON’T BE DAMAGED IN THE SLIGHTEST!” He screamed.

The man looked at Jack, terror written over his face.

“Uh… sure,” he finally answered.

Jack climbed into the drivers seat, while Jose jumped into the passenger side, and Leah leapt into the back. Jack turned the wheel, mashed on the accelerator with all his strength, and leaned out the window.

“Thanks!” He called to the man, before tearing off after the cyborg.

A grin stretched across his face. He was having fun.


	11. Chapter 11

Alyx set her drink down and looked out, over the ocean. She took a moment to admire the condensation on her glass; the cool beads of water that ran down its side, and rolled over her hand. She felt the ocean breeze, and the salt that hung in the air. She felt the sun on her skin, and the wind in her hair.

“Fifteen years. Can you believe that?” she asked Grim.

Grim sighed and played with his drink. He looked at Alyx. Her face was utterly blank. She’d been quiet during the drive, and had barely said a word since they’d sat down. She’d already gone through half a bottle of whiskey, and would likely finish a second by the time they headed back to the house.

“Anniversary’s coming up, right?” Grim asked. “Do you want to stop by home?”  
Alyx sighed and took another sip from her glass.

“No, it’s alright.”

“It wouldn’t be hard,” Grim said with a shrug.

Alyx set her glass down and stood. She kept her steady gaze pointed towards the ocean, ignoring Grim’s sudden look of concern.

“I’m going back to the house,” she finally said.

She turned on her heel and began walking towards the beach.

Grim leaned forward. “Dessert’s on the way.”

Alyx shrugged. “Get it boxed. I’m going for a walk,” she answered without looking at him.

Alyx walked down the steps that led to the beach, and prepared to let her mind wander for as long as possible. But just as she stepped onto the sand, a message appeared in her vision, projected there by her Neural Lace, the microchip implanted at the base of her skull.

There in the top right corner of her sight was a headshot of Jack, the word CALL displayed just underneath. The sound of a ringing phone filled Alyx’s mind, and rang through her skull as clearly as if someone was holding the phone by her ear. Alyx sighed, and mentally picked up the call.

“ _Yes, Jack?_ ” Alyx said, making no effort to disguise the annoyance in her voice.

On the other side of town, Jack, Leah and Jose sped down a Rockport street, in close pursuit of the cyborg. Jack sat behind the wheel of the commandeered vehicle, one hand on the steering wheel, the other cupped over his ear, holding his phone in place.

“Captain! Some cyborg just made off with Kunai!” He shouted into the phone. The cyborg barreled through a stop light, sending cars and pedestrians into a flurry. Jack didn’t bother slowing down.

 

Alyx paused, stunned.

“ _What?_ ” She screamed inside her mind.

“ _Me, Jose and one of the Marines from his fireteam are in pursuit, sort of!_ ” Jack answered, his voice sounding as clearly as if he were there on the beach with Alyx.

Alyx’s mouth contorted in rage. She turned on her heel and headed for the Grizzly. Grim watched her as she ran, and quickly took after her.

“ _Stay on him, Jack!_ ” She screamed, both inside and outside her skull.

She leapt into the Grizzly, turned on the vehicle, paused just long enough for Grim to climb inside, and shot out of the parking lot with vengeful energy.

“ _We’ll do our best!_ ”

 

Allison had found her beach, and was loving it. She’d stripped out of her tank top and jeans, and was laying face down in the sand, letting the sun heat her back to perfection. She sighed in satisfaction.

There was no chance of her getting sunburned, or heat exhaustion, or heat stroke, or any of the myriad issues that would afflict a normal human. She could lay on the beach for hours, without a care in the world.

Just as she was considering removing her underwear, Alyx’s photo and CALL indicator appeared in her vision. Allison groaned and let the call ring and ring. She knew what Alyx was going to say, and she had no intention of doing a thing about it.

Once the call finally clicked over to voicemail, Allison smiled. She was looking forward to this.

“ _Allison! I know you can hear me! Pick up your phone! Allison, somebody took Kunai! Jack’s in pursuit! Get over there! Now!_ ” Allison smiled and readjusted. “ _Allison? Galaxy, where are you? Allison!_ ”

The line snapped shut, and Allison’s smile grew.

 

Alyx sneered from behind the wheel. Grim handed her a weapons belt, her Collins-Colonial blaster in its holster, a row of spare magazines clipped to the side, and a deadly knife fixed to the back. Alyx set the car on auto-pilot and clipped the belt on.

“Someone’s going to burn for this!” She screamed as she placed her hands back on the steering wheel.

 

Jack could see the cyborg’s vehicle up ahead. It was a utilitarian model: large wheels, and a big engine. It was surprisingly nimble in the cyborg’s hands. It weaved in and out of traffic like a much smaller car, or simply barreled through it. But it was slow, and Jack was closing the gap.

He pressed harder on the accelerator and narrowed his eyes. This woman was not getting away.

“So what’s the plan?” Jose asked from the passenger seat.

Jack thought for a moment.

“Alright. I’m gonna get up right next to this person. You two are gonna jump onto her car, and throw Kunai into this one. I’ll drive off while you guys subdue the cyborg,” he answered in perfectly clipped tones.

Jose stared at Jack.

“We’re gonna leap from one moving car to another, toss someone from one moving car to another, then fight a military grade cyborg in hand to hand combat, while you just… drive off,” Jose repeated.

“Exactly.” He looked at Jose with the faintest trace of a smile. “I think it’s a solid plan.”

A bolt of energy sang over the top of the car, shattering the air. Jose instinctively ducked lower, and turned around in his seat.

“Jack, the cops are following us!” Leah shouted from the back seat.

“There aren’t any cops on this planet!” Jack called back.

“Well, they’ve got guns!”

Jack was on the verge of turning around when a car leapt out into the middle of the street. Jack screamed in terror and slammed on the brakes. The car screeched for a half meter before ramming into the rogue vehicle.

Montgomery Wise stepped out of the drivers’ door, blaster raised, long coat billowing in the wind. His crew stepped out of the vehicle, took up positions around Jack’s car, blaster leveled, and fingers on their triggers.

“Hands up!” Monty shouted at Jack.

Jack cocked an eyebrow and leaned out the car window.

“Monty? Hey, don’t shoot!”

Monty stared for a moment before lowering his blaster.

“Jack, what’re you doing?” He shouted.

Jack pointed down the street.

“Some cyborg snatched one of my crewmembers!”

Monty stared, and holstered his blaster.

“Oh. Well why didn’t you say so?”

 

The cyborg pressed harder on the accelerator, squeezing another ten kilometers per hour out of the car. Kunai stared out the window, her eyes slowly growing wider, but she felt no fear. The fear had passed quickly, now only anger remained.

“Who are you?” She asked. The cyborg stared resolutely ahead, ignoring Kunai.

Kunai struggled against the cords the cyborg had hastily tied around her hands. The cyborg glanced towards her, noticed Kunai struggling, and smacked the teenager across the mouth.

Kunai winced, but managed to ignore the pain. This wasn’t the first time someone had struck her.

The cyborg glanced at Kunai, a grin sprouting on her lips. Kunai recoiled back. The cyborg had a hideous scar across her cheek that extended from her eye to her chin.

It split open when she smiled, revealing her titanium skull plating, and the pseudo muscles that controlled her expressions.

“The name’s Minerva,” the cyborg hissed. She pointed to Kunai’s restraints. “And you’ll quit that if you know what’s good for you.”

Kunai quit her struggling and glared at Minerva.

“Where are you taking me?” She demanded.

Minerva laughed. “Back to Halcyon!”

Kunai looked out the window, shock etched into her face.

“Galaxy…” she whispered.

Minerva laughed. “Yeah, I’d hate to be you right now, kid.”

 

Jack was keeping pace with the cyborg, but only just. Monty was right behind him, along with the rest of his crew. Jack smiled. He was on point for the whole rescue effort.

“Jack! She’s heading for the spaceport!” Jose shouted.

Jack glanced at some of the passing street signs and realized that Jose was correct. Less than a kilometer ahead was the central dockyard for all kinds of transports, shuttlecraft, and dropships. They would get the cyborg to orbit, and from there, she’d be able to commandeer a ship. But the spaceport was heavily guarded, and there was no way she’d make it into orbit without being shot down by Rockport’s defensive array.

Jack shook his head. “She’s not gonna get away like that!”

A small corvette sized ship flew overhead in a cacophony of superheated exhaust and anti-grav thrusters. It was flying low, barely above the surrounding buildings.

The corvette flew off into the distance, beyond the road and over the dunes that surrounded Rockport.

“Unless she’s got an accomplice,” Leah sighed.

Jack leaned slightly out the window of the car, trying to see ahead of the cyborg. They were approaching a T-intersection, which meant he would have to turn hard one direction or the other, and he wouldn’t get any warning.

Jack’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. His breath became shallow, his pupils dilated, and his mouth twisted into a grimace. A dim part of him wished he were back on the Albatross. He could fly better than he could drive.

The cyborg sped towards the intersection at full tilt, and was beginning to slip away from Jack. The trainee pilot scowled, and pressed harder on the accelerator. The car shot forward, tight on the cyborg’s tale.

Jack leaned out the window again, and looked frightfully at the intersection. They would be on it in seconds. If he failed to execute a perfect turn, his car and Monty’s would plow directly into the large dune beyond.

Jack leaned back inside the car and redoubled his focus. _Kunai’s in danger_ , he thought. _I was specifically told to keep that from happening!_

The cyborg approached the intersection at top speed, and blew right through it. She steered the massive vehicle up and over the dune, twin rooster tails of sand kicking up from the back wheels. Less than five meters behind her, Jack’s eyes went wide in horror.

“Uh…” he said slowly.

The link between his brain and foot finally burst into activity. Jack mashed his boot against the brake with all his energy, to no avail. The tiny car slammed into the dune at near full speed. The front end buried itself in the dune, and gel packets quickly detonated, filling the car with cushioning impact-foam that stopped the three passengers and saved their lives.

“Galaxy!” Jack screamed into the rapidly dissipating foam. He scrambled to unclip his seatbelt, opened the door, and promptly fell into the sand.

Jose opened his own door, and calmly stepped out, his entire body soaked in impact-foam. He jabbed a finger at Jack, his face livid.

“Next time, grab a better car!”

As Jose extended his hand to Jack, Monty’s car slammed into the dune next to them, shooting a geyser of sand into the air.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Jack shouted.

Monty leaned out of the passenger seat, shaking his fist.

“It’s a rental! What do you want me to do about it?”

Monty’s driver turned to him with a frown.

“I don’t think we bought the insurance, Captain.”

Monty balled up his fists and scowled. “ _Galaxy!_ The one time we actually need it!”

Jose finally pulled Jack up from the dirt, only to have the Grizzly scream past the startled trio, and climb up the dune with ease. Riding in the back, one hand holding fast to the roll cage, the shouldering a massive rocket launcher, was Alyx.

Jose gawked as the sounds of the Grizzly faded into the distance.

“Wasn’t that your Captain?” He shouted to Jack.

Jack thought for a moment before heading up the dune, his feet sinking deep into the sand, and his knees high kicking with every step.

“Quick!” He shouted to Jose and Leah. “Leg it!”


	12. Chapter 12

The corvette streaked over Kunai’s head, its hull black and ominous. The belly thrusters were at full throttle, bringing the ship to a slow descent, and set to land a hundred meters ahead of the car.

Minerva smiled.

“Hired help. Wonderful thing.”

Kunai grimaced. She stared at the corvette as it passed overhead. That’s the ship, she thought. That’s the ship that will take me back to Halcyon. Part of her wanted to cry. But a new part, a part that had only come alive in the last two days, wanted to fight.

A terrible shrieking noise came alive, drawing Kunai’s attention back to the corvette. A missile flashed towards the ship, and detonated in a thunderclap of bright light and shattered steel. Kunai screamed in joy, while Minerva balked.

“Galaxy!” She shrieked.

One of the corvette’s engines had been shredded, and the small ship careened towards ground. It landed in a spray of sand, its nose burrowing into a dune.  
Minerva steered the car towards the ship, parked beside the hull, and leapt out, surveying the damage.

Three of the four engines were serviceable, and the hull still seemed intact. Minerva smiled and dragged Kunai out of the passenger seat.

“I can still fly this,” she said.

The corvette’s pilot stumbled out the back of the ship’s ramp in a daze. He noticed Minerva just as the cyborg grabbed him around his shirt collar and belt. She pressed her face against his, a wicked grin on her face.

“Bye!” she said, before throwing him over the dune and out of sight.

Minerva grabbed Kunai around the collar, and prepared to throw the teenager into the ship.

Kunai screamed, and slammed her fists against Minerva’s skull, to no avail. The cyborg sneered, and slapped Kunai across the face so hard she saw stars. Minerva pulled Kunai toward the ship, but stopped when a new voice called out to her.

 

“Bounty hunter!” Alyx shouted.

Minerva turned, as did Kunai.

There on the top of the highest dune, was Alyx. Staring down the sights of her Collins-Colonial, legs spread in a shooting stance, back straight, and her eyes narrowed. Kunai couldn’t look away.

Her captain had come for her. And she looked ready to fight.

“Put. Her. Down!” Alyx ordered.

Minerva laughed and dropped Kunai to the ground. Kunai spat sand from her mouth and crawled backwards towards the dropship.  
Minerva pointed a finger at Alyx, a sly grin on her face. She walked toward the dune, letting her hips shake from side to side, and her shoulder sag. Her head was on a tilt, and a light seductive smile crawled onto her lips.

Alyx’s grip on her blaster tightened.

Minerva stopped at the base of the dune Alyx stood on top of.

“You’re Alyx Falcout, right?”

“In the flesh,” Alyx answered.

Minerva smiled. “Neat. I’ve always wanted to kill a Falcout…”

The cyborg whipped her arm up, and deployed her shotgun. Alyx ducked lower behind her blaster and squeezed. Two shots rang out, with searing bolts of energy moving at light speed towards Minerva. The shots contacted the cyborg: one at the chest, and one at the head. But just as the deadly energy seemed like it would gouge radioactive holes into Minerva, two black smears appeared just before the cyborg.

Alyx’s eyes narrowed in disgust. An energy shield. She came prepared.

Minerva smiled and squeezed off a double load from her own blaster. The shot’s connected, and were absorbed by Alyx’s own shield.

Alyx began to run down the dune, firing well-placed shots with each step. Minerva smiled and ran towards the Captain, firing her own blaster.

The two women connected, and Minerva quickly wrapped a hand around Alyx’s throat and forced her to her knees. The Captain smiled, and pulled a knife from the back of her belt. With a tremendous war cry, she plunged a knife just below the cyborg’s arm, forcing her to release her grip.

Minerva screamed and tried to bring her blaster to bear, but Alyx was already rolling away. She sprang to her feet, one hand on her blaster, the other wrapped tightly around the combat knife.

Alyx squeezed off another two shots, but the cyborg easily dodged them with a smile. She skipped around Alyx, placing herself between the Captain and Kunai, who was scrambling through the crashed dropship, looking for a weapon.

Minerva shouted in anger and charged Alyx, who let a brief shout and fired her blaster into Minerva at point blank range. The cyborg’s shield absorbed the first, and second shots, but faltered and failed at the final round. A burst of heat erupted from the shield’s membrane as the system tried desperately to expel the energy it had absorbed from the blaster shots.

Alyx scowled. She had two shots left.

Aiming carefully, Kunai squeezed the trigger twice. One shot penetrated Minerva’s chest, just below her neck. The other tore at the cyborg’s damaged shoulder.

Minerva screamed, and continued charging. With her undamaged arm, she deployed a half-meter skewering blade. The steel had been polished to such a perfect shine, Alyx could see herself reflected perfectly. She could see every detail. Her knotted hair, her exhaustion, and her fear.

Minerva brought the blade high over he head, and swung it tight in a wide arc. Alyx screamed, and held her blaster and knife over her had, catching the blade. But the cyborg was strong, it was impossible to hold up against the incredible strength. Alyx smoothly deflected the blade, letting it cut into the sand.

Alyx stepped back, gasping for breath. She ejected the magazine from her pistol, and attempted to reload the weapon, to no avail. Minerva turned, and with a wild scream, drove a fist straight into Alyx’s stomach, driving her through the air, and into the dune.

Minerva grinned wickedly and stalked closer to Alyx, who clutched at her stomach in pain. Seeing the advancing cyborg, Alyx grabbed hold of her blaster and attempted to reload again.

Minerva brought her foot down on Alyx’s arm, eliciting a scream of pain. Minerva laughed, and stared down at Alyx, her grin growing wider and wider, the scar on her face tearing open with each passing second.

Minerva raised her knife, pointed it at Alyx’s heart, and laughed.

 

“Captain!” Kunai screamed from the dropship. “Stay down!”

Minerva turned, and screamed in shock.

 

Kunai had found a weapon. A powerful blaster rifle that carried a sixty round magazine, and was set for full auto. Kunai had never held a weapon before. But she’d seen movies and played video games. That would have to do for now. She set her finger on the trigger, ducked low behind the rifle’s sights, and set the red dot right over the cyborg.

 

Alyx saw Kunai holding the rifle. She slowly sat up, agony shooting through her stomach. She reached out to Kunai.

“Wait!” Alyx shouted.

 

Kunai squeezed the trigger, and a super heated packet of energy was ejected from the muzzle of the rifle. The air roared as the molecules in the path of the blaster shot became agitated and expanded with violent energy.

This ejection of energy threw Kunai’s aim off, and where the first trio of shots struck the cyborg in the shield, every following shot flew wild. Alyx curled up into a ball, making herself as small a target as possible, Minerva just laughed as errant shots struck the sand around her, sending little geysers of molten glass into the air.

Kunai held the trigger down until the magazine ran dry. Shocked, she stared at the weapon, banged on its side, flicked some its buttons, all in a growing sense of panic. Minerva laughed, and charged.

She was by Kunai’s side in two seconds.

Kunai hefted the useless rifle like a club, delivered a furious war cry, and attempted to bring the butt of the weapon down on Minerva’s head. The cyborg easily swiped the rifle aside, knocking it out of Kunai’s hands like it was a toy. She snatched Kunai’s jaw in her hands, and tugged the teenager close, until the two were nose to nose.

“Kids shouldn’t play with blasters,” she hissed.

Minerva placed one hand on Kunai’s stomach and launched the teenager into the dropship, smirking as Kunai clattered to the deck.

“Get in there!” She shouted.

Minerva smirked and turned on her heel. She laughed when she saw Alyx struggling to her feet, and briefly considered going after the woman. But after remembering her extensive injuries, and the Collins-Colonial blaster, thought better of it. Minerva was about to enter the dropship and leave Rockport behind, when she saw the faintest motion in her peripheral vision.

“Hey!” Grim shouted.

Minerva turned to see Grim, clad in tactical vest, and laden down with knives, grenades, pistol and shotgun, standing next to her. His fist was cocked, and sheathed in an armored glove.

Minerva had just enough to squeak before Grim’s fist slammed into her face, knocking her off her feet and sending her tumbling into the sand. Grim had his shotgun up a second later, flicked off the safety, and squeezed the trigger just as Minerva got back on her feet.

The first nuclear blast ripped Minerva’s shields apart. Grim racked the shotgun’s slide, ejecting a spent battery, and chambering a new one. Minerva raised her arms to protect her face.

Grim squeezed the trigger again. The blast impacted Minerva’s titanium arms, and blew right through them. Pseudo-muscle and steel blew across the sand. Minerva screamed, but stood her ground.

Grim turned and looked at Kunai.

“Go, Kunai!” He shouted.

Kunai nodded, and ran. She sprinted towards the top of the dune. As she ran, she looked behind her.  
Minerva’s arms hung limply at her side, and the skin on her face was boiling off. It ran down her chin and fizzed, bubbling like tar. Grim racked another round into his shotgun and took aim.

Minerva screamed and charged. She whipped her useless arms towards Grim, striking him in the chest with enough power to send him cartwheeling into the earth. He tumbled end over end, but recovered into a half crouch. He stood, took aim and fired.

This time, Minerva dodged the deadly blast, and catapulted herself into Grim. She locked her legs around the sailor, and laughed.

Suddenly, her forearms disconnected from her upper arms. A knife shot out of the stump that used to be her left arm. She pointed the dagger at Grim, squeezed her legs tight, and prepared to drive the silver tip into the man’s skull.

“You’re dead! DEAD!” She cackled.

A shot rang out, and the dagger exploded. Minerva screamed, and looked to the shots origin. There, not two meters away, was Alyx, her pistol loaded, and leveled at Minerva’s head.

“Let him go,” she said calmly.

Minerva shrieked, and pointed her right arm at Alyx. This time, a small blaster appeared, with a laser sight trained directly on Alyx’s forehead. Minerva grinned, and placed what was left of the knife against Grim’s throat.

“Hey, cyborg!” A man called.

Kunai turned from her position on the dune, and laughed.

Jack, Jose, Leah, Monty and his entire crew were all arrayed at the top of the dune where Alyx first stood. Each one was armed; with pistols, rifle, shotguns, sniper rifles, knives and nuclear detonators of every kind. Monty waved his hand at Minerva, smiling. “Hi!”  
Minerva screamed. She tilted her head to the sky and shrieked. When she was done, she looked at Alyx, a menacing glint in her eye, and a sickly sweet smile to her lips.

Minerva stood, retracted her blade, collapsed her blaster, and raised her arms. Grim slid out from between her legs, and stood next to Alyx, who still had her blaster trained on Minerva.

Slowly, the cyborg’s smile shifted to a frown. Alyx tightened her grip on her pistol, and took a half step forward. Minerva laughed, and opened slits on her chest cavity.

An inky black cloud poured out so fast and thick, the cyborg was quickly lost, engulfed in an impenetrable fog. Alyx, Grim and Kunai retreated quickly, knowing that Minerva held the advantage in the fog. They ran towards Monty and his crew, their legs pumping to fight through the sand.

They ducked behind the crew, turned, and trained their guns back on the battleground. The smoke cleared quickly, and Minerva was nowhere to be found.

Monty smirked. “Ugh. Bounty hunters.”

He turned to Alyx, a smile on his face. “We’ll take it from here, Alyx.” He slapped her on the shoulder and waved his people forward. He took several steps before turning around, grinning. “We’re still on for dinner tomorrow, right?”

Alyx stared at him. “So long as you’re still buying.”

Monty smiled, winked, and walked down the dune.

Alyx turned to Kunai.

“You alright, Kunai?” She said with exhaustion.

Jose and Jack walked to Kunai, and crouched down beside her, their knees arcing into the sand. Jack slapped her on the shoulder, and began to laugh. Jose simply shook his head.


	13. Chapter 13

Alyx wheeled the Grizzly into the house’s driveway. She brought the car to a stop, put it in park, and turned off the engine, which hummed to a low whine, and then to silence, as it spooled down.

Jack, Grim and Kunai dismounted slowly. Jack passed by Alyx, and wrapped his knuckles against the Grizzly’s hull as he walked.

“Thanks for the ride, Cap,” he said cheerfully.

“Anytime,” Alyx said softly.

Jack walked into the house, followed swiftly by Grim. Alyx looked behind herself, and saw Kunai stepping slowly out of the Grizzly. She walked past Alyx without comment, her eyes nailed to the ground, her shoulders slouched, and back arched.

“Hey,” Alyx called after her. Kunai turned, and looked Alyx in the eye. Alyx recoiled back. Kunai was looking through her, past her.

“You okay?” Alyx whispered.

Kunai shrugged. “Yeah, Cap.”

Alyx sighed. “Why not go take a hot shower, hm? We’re having dinner soon.”

Kunai nodded. “Sure.”

She turned back around, and walked into the house.

 

Alyx waited in the car for several minutes before finally unbuckling herself and walking inside. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Allison standing on the deck, her elbows resting against the railing, her back to the front door. Alyx scowled.

She marched past the kitchen, where the men were now cooking dinner. She opened the door to the deck and stepped next to Allison, who did little more than glance at her. Alyx rested her arms against the railing and looked out onto the ocean. The moons were low in the sky tonight, and were casting a brilliant reflection across the water.

“Hey,” she said casually. “Heard you had some trouble today.”

Alyx shrugged. “Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

The two stared out at the ocean. Alyx shivered slightly. It was getting cold, and she was still wearing her sleeveless shirt. She’d have to change. She cocked her head slightly, a new idea popping into her head.

She pushed that to the side and glanced at Allison.

“You knew the whole time, what she was planning, didn’t you?”

“Might’ve,” Allison said. She turned around, resting her back against the railing. “Told you that girl was trouble.”

Alyx stood to her full height and turned to Allison, cold fury pumping through her veins.

“She’s not going anywhere, Allison,” she snarled.

Allison smiled wickedly. “You never even told her she was in danger, did you?”

Alyx’s eyes narrowed. She glanced towards the men, who were diligently cooking dinner. Burke and Thai were fighting over how much sauce should be added. Jack was carving up onions. Grim was stirring a pot. Suddenly, he stopped, and looked towards out onto the deck. He caught Alyx’s eyes. The two looked at each other for only a moment, before Alyx turned back to Allison.

“Didn’t see a reason to burden her,” she said between gritted teeth.

Allison laughed. “You were afraid she’d run.”

“And you wanted her gone.”

Allison pushed away from the railing and turned towards Alyx. Alyx almost stepped back, and her hand instinctively moved towards her blaster. Allison stepped close, until the two were almost touching. She ducked her head low, making the two equal in height. “What do you see in that girl, huh? What makes her so special?”

Alyx looked right into Allison’s eyes, and fire poured out. Allison recoiled, however slightly. She scowled for a moment, before smiling. She pulled her knife from its holster and began to twirl it in her hand.

“Whatever,” she said with a shrug. She turned on her heel and began to walk down the steps of the deck, towards the beach. “It’s your call.”

“Are we going to have any more trouble?” Alyx called after her.

Allison stopped walking and caught her knife. She stood frozen for a moment before shrugging, and continuing her knife-twirling walk down the beach.

“Nah,” she said.

Alyx frowned, huffed, and walked back inside the house.

Allison walked for almost a kilometer before she stowed her knife and pulled up a holographic projection of Kunai’s wanted poster. She tapped away at the screen, signing into the bounty hunter database that allowed her to find new contracts, update old ones, and provide other bounty hunters with information.

Allison scrolled through Kunai’s bounty profile. Under “ONBOARD:,” which had been blank, she added “NSS ALBATROSS.”

Under “KNOWN ASSOSCIATES/POTENTIAL THREATS” she added “ALEXANDRIA J. FALCOUT, BJORN GRIMSSON, NORTH STAR GUILD.”

She typed her own name into the database as well, but just as she was about to click “UPDATE,” she paused. She thought for several moments before deleting her name, and instead opted to make it clear that the bounty update was provided by herself.

She then closed the display, climbed atop a nearby boulder, and sat down. She looked out over the ocean, and admired the salt sea air as it kissed her skin. She splayed her arms out behind her, and breathed deep. The sea air was sucked into her nostrils, tickling her ultra-sensitive skin. Allison almost giggled.

A ping sounded from her neural lace, prompting Allison to once again pull up the bounty. She smiled.

A red X had grown over Kunai’s face, with bold text written underneath.

BOUNTY CANCELLED BY ISSUER. DISREGARD BOUNTY.

Allison laughed, and looked out onto the ocean. Somehow, deep inside her, she felt like she’d won.

 

Kunai was in the bathroom, fiddling with the shower controls. It was a more complicated arrangement than what was on the Albatross. She’d already input incorrect sequences several times and was growling increasingly frustrated. After several more attempts, she finally got the temperature set correctly. She started the shower, letting the hot steam fill the small room.

Kunai stood in front of the mirror, about to take her clothes off when she looked into the mirror. She stared at her reflection until the mirror became fogged.

Suddenly, she turned off the shower, walked calmly into her room, and grabbed her gym bag. She reached towards the new clothes that had arrived before her hand froze in mid-air. She bit her lip, and pulled away.

Finally, she grabbed her Hardex jacket, and stalked out of her room. She could hear voices in the kitchen. Her crewmembers cooking, joking, laughing, teasing. She looked down the hall towards those noises, tears beginning to grow at her eyes. She wiped them away and walked away from the kitchen, towards the house’s side exit. She pushed through the door, walked down the steps, and onto the beach, where she broke into a run.

 

Behind her, Emily finished dumping the contents of a medical storage container into the garbage can that stood next to the door. Out slithered tentacles, organs, and a slurry of blood and rotting tissue. But Emily focused on none of this.

Her eyes were rooted on Kunai as she ran off into the distance. Emily could see her gym bag bobbing up and down, and with a sudden realization, understood what had happened.

Emily quickly placed a lid on the now empty medical container, and ran inside the house.


	14. Chapter 14

Kunai wasn’t sure how long she ran. But when her legs began to scream in agony, and her lungs struggled for air, she slowed, and began to walk. She walked for what felt like hours before she came across a desiccated tree. It was old and gnarled, hanging over the ocean, and clinging to the sand by the barest of roots. Trees were not meant to grow on Rockport, Kunai realized. Not yet.

She sat down by the tree, and laid her back against its tough bark. She stared out onto the ocean, and began to cry.

Tears fell light down her cheeks, and not a single sound escaped her lips. She was determine to remain some sense of dignity, even now.

The sounds of soft footfalls reached her ears.

“I’m sorry,” Kunai whispered.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Grim said.

Kunai looked up at him, shocked.

He was walking towards her at a lope, his hands in his pockets, and an easy expression on his face. He sat down next to Kunai with a huff. He pulled on knee to his chest, and looked out over the ocean.

Kunai followed his gaze. She sniffled and wiped some of the tears from her face, suddenly ashamed.

“I put everyone in danger,” she said. “You should’ve let her take me.”

“No, we shouldn’t have,” Grim answered simply.

“You’d be done with me.”

“Listen,” Grim said. He turned towards Kunai, who after a pause, did the same. Grim looked into her eyes with incredible pity. He wondered what she’d seen before they’d met each other. What she’d had to endure.

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“You did nothing wrong.” He let go of her shoulder and leaned back against the tree. “Back on Halcyon… you did what it took to survive. Accidents happen. You dealt with the consequences the best you could, and wound up on the Albatross. The Captain decided to make you a member of the crew. And that means something.”

Kunai chuckled, the sound coming out weak and hollow.

“Yeah? What?”

Grim frowned and leaned closer to her.

“It means no matter what happens, we’ll always be there for you.”

Kunai stared out at the ocean.

She turned to Grim. “Why?” She asked with a shrug.

“I’m dangerous now, Grim.” She looked at the sand, and grabbed her bag. “I should go.”

Just as she was about to stand, Grim set his hand on her shoulder, keeping her in her seat. Kunai plopped down, one hand still clutching her gym bag.

“Hey,” Grim said calmly. He looked directly into Kunai’s eyes. “You don’t have to worry about us. What happened today was nothing. Routine.”

Kunai cocked an eyebrow. Grim smiled.

“It comes with the territory.”

He sighed, and pulled his hand off Kunai’s shoulder. “If you want to go… I won’t stop you. But I don’t believe for a moment you want to leave because you think you’re putting us in danger.” He tilted his head towards her. “Tell me the truth, Kunai. What’s bothering you?”

Kunai stared back at him for several moments. Finally, she tore herself away, looked out at the ocean, and began to weep. Her lip quivered, and her eyes gushed, but still, no cries escaped her lips. Grim wrapped an arm around Kunai, and pulled her close. Kunai wrapped one arm around Grim, and buried herself in his chest.

“I don’t belong here, Grim,” she whispered.

Grim laughed and squeezed Kunai tight.

“Why in all the galaxy, would you think that?”

Kunai pushed herself away from Grim, angry.

“I’m not a spacer! I don’t know the first thing about living on a ship! Or the galaxy! Or math, or science, or any of that stuff!” Kunai wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She huffed. “Everyone on the ship knows what they’re doing! I’m just some kid from a backwater corporate planet.” She scowled. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“We weren’t born spacers, Kunai,” Grim said gently.

“The Captain was.”

Now Grim laughed long and loud. He threw his head back, and bellowed for a solid minute, his beard shaking as he laughed. Kunai stared at him, her eyes wide. Once

Grim finally stopped, he wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Kunai, a smile still tugging at his lips.

“Aye, the Captain was. But the rest of us had to work at it.” He shrugged, then fixed Kunai with a serious gaze. “You’ve been on the Albatross two days. How much

have you learned already, huh? How much have you grown?”

Kunai frowned, inhaled and prepared to answer. Before she could, Grim held a hand up to her face, silencing her. He smiled.

“A lot, is the correct answer. You were thrown into this world headfirst. No time for adjustment. But you’re still doing just fine.”

Kunai shrugged.

“I’m not so sure.”

Grim sighed. When he saw Kunai was staring down the length of the beach, Grim thumped her on the shoulder. Kunai turned, her eyes still wet, and her cheeks flushed.

“Kunai. You’ve got greatness in you, I can tell. How many people would have survived Halcyon? Survived a pirate attack? Survived a bounty hunter? You are a selfless, brave, intelligent young woman.”

Grim smiled. “You’re a spacer if I’ve ever seen one.”

“You’re a member of the Albatross, Kunai. And the North Star.” Once more, Grim rested a hand on Kunai’s shoulder. This time, Kunai looked into his eyes, and rested a hand on his own. She made no movement to remove the hand, only to know that it was there.

“No matter where you are, no matter how bad things get, I promise you. We’ll always be right there, beside you.” Grim beamed. “Why not give this life a chance, huh?”

Kunai looked at the sand. She thought back to Halcyon. To her life in the factory. Her life in the orphanage and the slums. She thought about the leaking pipes, the rotten food, and the cold. She remembered the beatings, and the cruelty.

And she thought of the Captain. How she’d taken her in when there was no reason to. She thought of the fight with the pirates, and how Jack had saved her life. She thought of the fight with the mercenary, and how everyone, the Captain, Grim, Jack, Jose, Monty, had been willing to fight a cyborg for her.

She thought of everything she’d scene. The stars. The planets. And everything she had still to see.

She looked at Grim. She’d known the man only two days now. But that was enough for now.

She smiled.

“Okay.”

Grim beamed. He smiled wider than Kunai had ever seen. The corners of his beard seemed to stretch, and his eyes began to water. He shook Kunai, and squeezed her tight.

“Okay. Good.” He shook her once more, and stood. “Come on. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Kunai stood, and the two began to walk down the beach. Grim grabbed onto Kunai’s gym bag.

“Let me carry that,” he said. As he looped it over his shoulder, he realized how light the bag was. He looked inside, and then at Kunai, wearing a puzzled expression.

“You were going to run away with nothing but your gym clothes? What happened to everything you bought today?”

Kunai blushed and looked at the sand.

“It… felt like stealing from the Captain.”

Grim paused, then laughed. He grabbed Kunai around the shoulder and pulled her close.

“You’re a cut above, Kunai.”

 

Grim and Kunai made it back to the house well before dinner, which was still simmering in the kitchen. While everyone waited, Alyx had ordered a fire built. Artificial logs were stacked a meter high, with flames extending three meters into the air. Kunai shivered as she approached. The temperature had dropped considerably, and even her Hardex jacket was struggling to keep up.

Burke and Thai sat on a mound of sand, bottles in their hands, wistfully staring into the fire. Each one had their own blanket. Allison rested her back against the railing of the stairs, Emily nestled between her legs, a blanket pulled to her chest. Jack sat on a mound of sand, a blanket over his shoulders. Alyx was the only one who stood, and the only one without a blanket. She had her arms crossed, and stared into the very heart of the fire. Kunai could see it dance in her eyes.

As Kunai sat next to Jack, Grim approached Alyx, and whispered into her ear. Alyx nodded and marched into the house.

Jack looked at Kunai.

“You okay?” He asked softly.

Kunai nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

A gust of wind blew over the beach, sending a shiver up Kunai’s spine. Without looking at her, Jack draped the blanket over her shoulders.

“I got you covered,” he said. Kunai smiled.

They stared into the fire now, the whole crew left to their own thoughts. Kunai allowed her mind to go blank. She felt the heat on her face, the heat pouring out of

Jack, and a new heat, that came from inside. For the first time, she’d found what could be called a family. She was part of something bigger now.

“Kunai,” Alyx said.

Kunai turned to see Alyx standing over her, her hands cradling a roll of dark red fabric. Kunai slipped out from under Jack’s blanket, stood, and approached Alyx.

Kunai looked at Alyx’s faced, and gasped. There was almost no joy in it, but nor was there any hardness. There was emptiness. Sadness. Silently, the rest of the crew took notice of what was happening. Allison and Emily sat a little straighter. Burke and Thai put their bottles in the sand. Grim stepped behind Jack, and rested a hand on his prosthetic arm.

Alyx stared into Kunai’s eyes with such intensity the teenager thought her very soul was being examined. She shivered.

Alyx inhaled deeply, and allowed a little softness to creep onto her face.

“Falcout is a very… old, name. We’ve got a few traditions.” She caressed the roll of fabric in her hands. “You came to us with no family. With no home. Without a single place to fall back on.”

Alyx unrolled the fabric in her hands, and Kunai gasped. It was a Hardex sash. Three quarters of a meter long, blood red, with a blue outline. At the top were two clasps, allowing it to be attached to a belt. At the bottom, marked in stark white, was the profile of an albatross. Its wings stretched the width of the sash, and its beak was pointed proudly to the side.

Alyx looped her hand under the sash, presenting it Kunai in full glory. She held it with care, like it was a cherished flag. And she looked at it like everything that she was, past present and future, was contained in the very stitching of the sash. Kunai’s eyes began to water. If Alyx noticed, she paid no mind.

“This sash is given to a crew member who wants to start a new life among the stars,” Alyx said. “I stitched it myself a long time ago. I’ve been waiting to give it to the right person.”

Alyx presented the sash to Kunai. Kunai looked at it. It was so close, she could see the individual stitches. It was fine work. The Hardex had set perfectly. Now, it was tougher than steel.

Gently Kunai removed it from Alyx’s hands. She took the top part of the sash, and carefully clipped it to the right side of her belt, so the albatross’ beak pointed forward. Once she heard the clasps snap shut, Kunai ran a hand along the sash, admiring it.

She looked back at Alyx, her eyes swimming.

“Thank you, Captain,” Kunai choked.

Kunai lurched forward, and wrapped Alyx in her arms. This time, Alyx was ready, and caught Kunai perfectly. Kunai nuzzled into Alyx’s elbow, and grinned.

Kunai could feel the heat from the fire, the heat Jack had given her, the heat that Alyx was giving her now, and the heat that her jacket held tight to her skin. But now there was a new heat, one from deep inside of her. A different fire had sparked, and come to life for the first time in seventeen years. She squeezed Alyx tighter.

“I’m glad you’re on my crew,” Alyx whispered.

“Me too,” Kunai whispered back.


End file.
